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Poster for The Secret Life of Bees

The Secret Life of Bees

Bring Your Girlfriends, Sisters, Mothers and Daughters.

2008 · 1h 54m · PG-13 Adventure, Drama, Family
Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood

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Overview

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.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
59%
Tomatometer
Fresh

There's a purity, clarity and honesty to this feminist heart-warmer's melodramatic instincts that make it surprisingly moving and satisfying.

Wally Hammond, Time Out
Fresh

The filmmakers give Latifah and Fanning room to create characters that breathe in the sweet smell of clover and breathe out the contented sigh of independence.

Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer
Rotten

Sweat and good intentions, however, will take you only so far. And they take Bees right up to the threshold of entertaining%u2014but not one step further.

Jessica Reaves, Chicago Tribune
Rotten

The honey runs thick in The Secret Life of Bees, and so does the treacle.

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor
Fresh

It's hard to roll your eyes when they're full of tears.

Dana Stevens, Slate

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