Adapted from the novel by Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees takes place in South Carolina during the summer of 1964. The Civil Rights movement is heating up, with outbreaks of violence all over the South, and President Johnson has just signed the Civil Rights Act into law. Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning) is a sad 14 year-old girl living with the guilt of having accidentally killed her mother ten years earlier. Lily's father, T. Ray (Paul Bettany) is a bitter man still resentful that his wife was leaving him when she was killed. The closest thing Lily has to a mother is Rosaleen Daise (Jennifer Hudson), who is equal parts housekeeper, friend and nanny. When Rosaleen takes a serious beating after running afoul of local racists while she is trying to register to vote, Lily decides it is time for the two of them to escape. With no particular place to go, Lily heads to the town of Tiburon, a name she only knows because it is written on one of her mother's few possessions. Among those possessions is an old label for Black Madonna Honey, which Lily is convinced must hold some clue as to who her mother was.

The owners of Black Madonna Honey are the Boatwright sisters, matriarch August (Queen Latifah), stern and guarded June (Alicia Keys), and simple but loving May (Sophie Okonedo), who live in a large pink house on a huge parcel of land. Lily and Rosaleen take refugee with the Boatwrights, but refrain from telling them the truth about where they came form or where they're going. With open arms from August and May, and more than a little uncertainty from June, Lily and Rosaleen quickly become part of the daily routine. August takes Lily under her wing, and begins to teach her about raising bees and making honey, and most important, she helps the teenager begin the long process of healing from the traumatic loss of her mother. But when a romance begins to blossom between Lily and Zach (Tristan Wilds), August's godson, the ugly reality of Southern racism crashes down on everyone.

It would be easy to dismiss The Secret Life of Bees as both a Chick Flick and a Magical Negro tale, and on certain levels the film is exactly both of those things. But at the same time the movie transcends the trappings that make both of those types of films so unbearable. The other risk run by the film is glossing over the harsh truth of Southern racism in 1964, making The Secret Life of Bees a bit too much of a Civil Rights Fairy Tale, which is common offshoot of the Magical Negro tale. And while the film is not a bare-knuckle look at the racism of the times, it also does not turn a blind eye, carefully hitting enough notes to remind the audience of the bitter truths lurking just beyond the pink walls of the Boatwright household.

Much of the credit for the success of The Secret Life of Bees must go to director and screenwriter Gina Prince-Bythewood, who keeps the film from degenerating into the conventions that could have easily made this film an unwatchable jumble of syrupy sentimental clichés. Yes, this is a sweet film, meant to make you feel good. And yes, it does not focus that much on the ugly truth of the racist times in which it set. But that's not what the book was about, and thankfully, it's not what the movie is about either. Instead, this is a story about hope and forgiveness and finding a place in the world when it seems like there is nowhere to fit it. Movies that tackle this subject matter often fail, sliding down a slippery slope of eye-rolling melodrama and gag-inducing histrionics that cater to a more unsophisticated audience. Thankfully, The Secret Life of Bees manages to find that precarious balance of having the emotional resonance to evoke a response from a quick-to-cry audience, without dumbing itself down to the point it insults the intelligence of those who don't want to be pandered to.

Video:
The Secret Life of Bees is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen. The version that I watched was an advance promotional screener, and not final product. The picture quality on the advance screener was good, but there was some pausing between some of the chapters, and the picture quality during some of the bonus featurettes was bad (hopefully this will be rectified with the final product).

Audio:
The Secret Life of Bees is presented in English 5.1 Dolby Digital with optional subtitles in English, Spanish and French. The sound quality was good, but this was not final product.

Bonus Material:
This single disc offers both the theatrical version of the movie and an extended director's cut. The disc is loaded with bonus features including two audio commentaries; one with director Gina Prince-Bythewood and editor Terilyn Shropshire, and the other with Bythewood, Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, and producers Joe Picharillo and Lauren Schuler Donner. There are eight deleted scenes with optional commentary by Bythewood and Shropshire. Five featurettes, "Adaptation: Bringing The Secret Life Of Bees To The Big Screen" (12 min.), "The Women And Men Of The Secret Life Of Bees" (16 min.), "Inside The Pink House With Sue Monk Kidd" (10 min.), "Life On The Set" (9 min.) and "The World Premiere" (3 min), offer a glimpse at everything from the cast to production design to the premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. Between the featurettes and the commentaries, any fan of the film will be more than engaged and satisfied.

Final Thoughts:
I know some people might not care for The Secret Life of Bees, but it is a solid film that is entertaining. It is also nice to see a film about black characters that does not degenerate into a Tyler Perry mess of unfunny stereotypes and bad filmmaking. It is also scores major points for being a film that can be enjoyed by the entire family.