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The Secret Life of Bees

The Secret Life of Bees

Family · Adventure · Drama · 2008

Set in South Carolina in 1964, this is the tale of Lily Owens a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father, Lily flees with Rosaleen, her caregiver and only friend, to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother's past.

Movie details

The Secret Life of Bees

“Bring Your Girlfriends, Sisters, Mothers and Daughters.”

2008 Family · Adventure · Drama 1h 54m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.5 / 10

Community rating

Set in South Carolina in 1964, this is the tale of Lily Owens a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father, Lily flees with Rosaleen, her caregiver and only friend, to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother's past.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Secret Life of Bees?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Play Dirty

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War · 1969

During World War II in North Africa, a group of British commandos disguised as Italian soldiers must travel behind enemy lines and destroy a vital Nazi oil depot.

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Drama · 2019

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True Grit

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Moonfleet

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Gina Prince-Bythewood

Written by

Gina Prince-Bythewood

Dakota Fanning

Dakota Fanning

Lily Owens

Queen Latifah

Queen Latifah

August Boatwright

Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer Hudson

Rosaleen Daise

Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys

June Boatwright

Sophie Okonedo

Sophie Okonedo

May Boatwright

Paul Bettany

Paul Bettany

T. Ray Owens

Hilarie Burton Morgan

Hilarie Burton Morgan

Deborah Owens

Court is in session

Put The Secret Life of Bees on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.