The Secret Life of Bees Critic Reviews

Above all, it contains characters I care for, played by actors I admire.Read the full review

The other actress to stand out is, unsurprisingly, Queen Latifa, whose intense screen presence makes her a force to be reckoned with even when she's simply standing in the background, not saying anything.Read the full review

Suffused with a golden glow, the movie looks and sounds like a fairy tale.Read the full review

On screen something happens that goes beyond Monk's powers of description and Fanning's way of seeming 14 and 44 at the same time.Read the full review

Keys isn't given much to do except look as though she's posing for an album cover, but Okonedo's face is a marvel. Every thought, every emotion flickers across it like clouds obscuring the sun.Read the full review

An affecting ensemble piece that's destined to generate a fair share of awards-season buzz.Read the full review

It's pleasant and often touching, and the well-chosen cast sells what little drama they get, but there's no depth and little affect, and every would-be conflict peters out noncommittally.Read the full review

Hampered by over-earnestness and tugs too intently at the heartstrings.Read the full review

The film insists so strenuously on its themes of redemption, tolerance, love and healing that it winds up defeating itself, and robbing Ms. Kidd’s already maudlin tale of its melodramatic heat.Read the full review