Dakota Fanning plays a teen named Lilly who has lost her mother. She goes in search of answers and ends up in the home of a woman (Queen Latifah) and her sisters, who own bee hives and bottle the honey for a living. Living with the women, she finds purpose in life. A subplot has her unpleasant stepdad looking for her. The story is set in the 1960s Deep South, so there's plenty of racial discord. The movie may remind some of THE COLOR PURPLE or FRIED GREEN TOMATOES. For those old enough to remember, it also bears overtones of A MEMBER OF THE WEDDING. Fanning is heartbreaking as the troubled child and Latifah plays the family matriarch like she was born to it. A good movie, but too long (well over two hours) for its slender plot.
Review of The Secret Life of Bees
