Jerry Seinfeld's "Bee Movie"

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SamsoniteDelilah's Avatar
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Standing in the Sunlight, Laughing
10-19-07
Caught a screening of Jerry Seinfeld’s Bee Movie last evening. I’ve missed a few animated features in my day, and I’m ok with that, but this one is well worth seeing. It’s got a great message, for one thing, but the big reason is: it’s got some great laughs. I was in an audience of several hundred Dreamworks employees (not exactly new ground for them) and have never heard so many belly laughs from an audience. It no doubt helped the energy level that the film was introduced by Jeffrey Katzenberg and that about 99% of the crowd were dressed in black and yellow (“Think bee!”). I think it’s safe to say that Jerry Seinfeld being in the house and speaking afterward also amped up the evening a bit. All that aside though: it’s a sweet little movie.

The cast features Seinfeld himself (he’s a bee!) and Matthew Broderick, Renee Zellweger (she’s a human!), John Goodman and Chris Rock, with the immortal Patrick Warburton. Hans Zimmer did the music and the story is by Seinfeld and three other guys. There are moments where you’ll need to not just suspend disbelief, but pack it up and ship it out of the country for safekeeping, but then, it’s a cartoon, so ok. Anything can happen if you’re in a cartoon – or if you’re a bee and you believe you can fly.

4/5

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Yoda's Avatar
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10-19-07
Good review; I've liked the look of the trailers and ads, but didn't figure it to be anything more than a passable animated comedy. I'm pleased to hear it's a notch above that, and will probably make a point to see it now.



Yoda's Avatar
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11-12-07
Saw Bee Movie over the weekend, and just posted a review. I laughed pretty much the entire second half of the movie. Not sure how it fares as a children film, but I found it hysterical. The adults sitting behind me laughed twice as much as the kids they'd brought with them.

Bee Movie



If you're reading this review, you're probably not the kind of person that Bee Movie is being marketed to. In fact, you're probably anywhere from 20 to 40 years older than the target market. But the target market doesn't read reviews, either, so if you're reading this you probably want to know two things: a) whether or not Bee Movie is suitable for children, and b) whether or not it will hold an adult's interest. The answers are maybe, and absolutely.

Bee Movie is a film about a honey bee named Barry B. Benson (voiced by Jerry Seinfeld). Barry doesn't care for the hive mentality, and bemoans the fact that his species is apparently doomed to a life of endless, repetitive work. The only exception are the hive's "pollen jocks," the only bees that get to leave the hive and explore the outside world. Barry talks his way into coming along on one of their pollination trips, and he is predictably separated from the swarm. He's nearly killed by an overzealous tennis player (voiced by fellow Seinfeld fixture Patrick Warburton), but is saved at the last minute by Vanessa Bloome (voiced by Renee Zellweger).

Out of thanks for her kindness, Barry decides to violate the first "Bee Law" and actually speak to Vanessa. It goes without saying that the two become friends, and that each of their species turns a skeptical eye to the unusual relationship.

Of course, turning this into a love story would be bizarre, so the film takes an unusual turn: Barry discovers that humanity has enslaved large numbers of bees and stolen their honey. So, he does what any sensible American citizen would do: he files a lawsuit, and a series of increasingly surreal (and surprisingly edgy) courtroom scenes follow.

Animation houses like Pixar and Dreamworks discerned long ago that, while parents are often willing to endure a film not meant for them to please their children, they can make doing so far more tolerable by including some subversive adult humor. It's permissible under the principle that anyone it'd be inappropriate for is too young to get it, anyway.

Bee Movie, however, takes this concept further than just about any family film yet. Entire sequences, like the aforementioned court room scenes, seem designed with adults in mind. It is doubtful that any child will appreciate the subtle humor of the fact that one of the honey brands that raises Barry's ire is "Ray Liotta's Private Select," or that Liotta clutches an Emmy while being cross-examined by Barry during the trial. In all, about half the gags are likely to fly right over your typical 6-year-old's head. They won't understand why the adults are rolling in the aisles.

A big factor in any family film, of course, is the message. In Bee Movie, the moral is a bit too fuzzy for your average kindergartner to grasp, as it circles around from a story about exploration and independent thinking, to a story about teamwork and responsibility.

Visually, the film is a notch below recent CGI efforts like Ratatouille. The humans look like they're made of plastic, and everything is obscenely bright, but it's solid work, and the ultra-cartoony feel is consistent with the over-the-top story.

Kids will still enjoy the visuals, though, as well as the fairly exhilarating flight scenes, and the general zaniness of it all. But this movie is as much for the adults as the children they're taking. Provided the kids can handle a bit of PG-edginess (such as a sudden on-screen explosion), adults will find it to be an acceptable diversion for the children, and surprisingly funny for themselves.

Last edited by Yoda; 11-12-07 at 04:21 PM. Reason: Typographical error.



Count DeMoney's Avatar
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De...Mo...Ney!!!
07-07-08
So, he does what any sensible American citizen would do: he files a lawsuit
Tried to see this on the weekend...I failed...I guess I'm not "American" enough for this rubbish! The Bee sues, you heard me...it SUES!!! LMAO!!!...what a great kids' story!