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IMDbPro

The Secret Life of Bees

  • 20082008
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 54m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
27K
YOUR RATING
The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
This is the first theatrical trailer for The Secret Lives of Bees, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood.
Play trailer2:38
1 Video
80 Photos
Drama
In 1964, a teenage girl in search of the truth about her mother runs away to a small town in South Carolina and finds a family of independent women who can connect her to her past.In 1964, a teenage girl in search of the truth about her mother runs away to a small town in South Carolina and finds a family of independent women who can connect her to her past.In 1964, a teenage girl in search of the truth about her mother runs away to a small town in South Carolina and finds a family of independent women who can connect her to her past.
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
27K
YOUR RATING
    • Gina Prince-Bythewood
    • Gina Prince-Bythewood(screenplay)
    • Sue Monk Kidd(novel)
  • Stars
    • Dakota Fanning
    • Jennifer Hudson
    • Queen Latifah
    • Gina Prince-Bythewood
    • Gina Prince-Bythewood(screenplay)
    • Sue Monk Kidd(novel)
  • Stars
    • Dakota Fanning
    • Jennifer Hudson
    • Queen Latifah
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 163User reviews
    • 103Critic reviews
    • 57Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    The Secret Lives of Bees: Trailer #1
    Trailer 2:38
    Watch The Secret Lives of Bees: Trailer #1

    Photos80

    Queen Latifah in The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
    Dakota Fanning, Richard Todd Sullivan, and Jennifer Hudson in The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
    Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Alicia Keys, and Jennifer Hudson in The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
    Alicia Keys and Nate Parker in The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
    Alicia Keys in The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
    Dakota Fanning in The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
    Paul Bettany in The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
    Dakota Fanning and Tristan Mack Wilds in The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
    Alicia Keys and Nate Parker in The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
    Queen Latifah and Dakota Fanning in The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
    Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, and Jennifer Hudson in The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
    Dakota Fanning and Jennifer Hudson in The Secret Life of Bees (2008)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Dakota Fanning
    Dakota Fanning
    • Lily Owens
    Jennifer Hudson
    Jennifer Hudson
    • Rosaleen Daise
    Queen Latifah
    Queen Latifah
    • August Boatwright
    Alicia Keys
    Alicia Keys
    • June Boatwright
    Sophie Okonedo
    Sophie Okonedo
    • May Boatwright
    Paul Bettany
    Paul Bettany
    • T. Ray Owens
    Hilarie Burton
    Hilarie Burton
    • Deborah Owens
    Tristan Mack Wilds
    Tristan Mack Wilds
    • Zach Taylor
    • (as Tristan Wilds)
    Nate Parker
    Nate Parker
    • Neil
    Shondrella Avery
    Shondrella Avery
    • Greta
    Renee Ford Clark
    • Doll
    • (as Renée Clark)
    Sharon Conley
    Sharon Conley
    • Violet
    • (as a different name)
    Nicky Buggs
    Nicky Buggs
    • Cressie
    Jasmine Burke
    Jasmine Burke
    • Sugar Girl
    Emma Sage Bowman
    • Young Lily
    Emily Alyn Lind
    Emily Alyn Lind
    • Young Lily
    Addy Miller
    Addy Miller
    • Young Lily
    Taylor Kowalski
    Taylor Kowalski
    • Teenager
      • Gina Prince-Bythewood
      • Gina Prince-Bythewood(screenplay)
      • Sue Monk Kidd(novel)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Alicia Keys learned to play the cello in 4 weeks for this part.
    • Goofs
      The story takes place in 1964. Throughout the story, June wears a silk-screen NAACP t-shirt. Silk-screened t-shirts did not exist until the issuance of a patent for the garment screen printing machine in 1969.
    • Quotes

      Zach Taylor: Miss August told me about you being here helping out. She didn't mention anything about you being white.

      Lily Owens: Maybe she didn't notice.

    • Alternate versions
      Home video versions (DVD and Blu-ray) include both the original theatrical version and the extended director's cut of 114 minutes.
    • Connections
      Featured in The 35th Annual People's Choice Awards (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Hippy Hippy Shake
      Written by Chan Romero (as Robert L. Romero)

      Performed by The Swinging Blue Jeans

      Courtesy of EMI Records Ltd.

      Under license from EMI Film & Television Music

    User reviews163

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Maudlin at Times, Still Quite Touching
    Having read the book and liking it, I found this movie to have the right combination of harsh reality and sentimentality. There are two sets of worker bees here; the actually insects and the women who continue to produces though in the middle of the prejudicial South. Queen Latifah (the queen bee) is incredible, backed up be an excellent cast. The young woman played by Dakota Fanning, is a bet weak at times, but the story carries things along. Her precociousness gets contrasted to her naivete a bit often. There are scenes of great emotion and sadness; also of great violence. We all need sanctuary at times and the women are willing to give this, even though they are dealing with a white girl who could bring trouble at any time. There are a few times when some stupid things are done and you wish they weren't, but this is a movie about hopes and dreams and reconciliation.
    helpful•3
    0
    • Hitchcoc
    • Oct 9, 2009

    FAQ4

    • Is "The Secret Life of Bees" based on a book?
    • Doesn't Lily look different than Fanning?
    • Aren't the Bee sisters in their 60s?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 17, 2008 (United States)
      • United States
      • Official site (United States)
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Lumberton, North Carolina, USA
    • Production companies
      • Searchlight Pictures
      • Overbrook Entertainment
      • Donners' Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 54 minutes
      • Color
      • DTS
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Digital

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