 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Bee Movie
- Review Date: March 9, 2008
- PG
- Genre: Family and Kids
- 2007
Common Sense Media says
Seinfeld comedy is cute fun for the whole family.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this has been one of the most aggressively marketed animated movies in recent history. Jerry Seinfeld has left no promotional stone unturned, so chances are that if you've had NBC on in the house for more than 20 minutes, your kids have seen a commercial for this movie. The good news is that it's a film that even preschoolers can follow, and while there are a few tense moments (mostly involving Barry's pell-mell flights through Manhattan), there are no overarching villains or monsters -- or even that many pop-culture references to frighten or confuse kids. There are still a few jokes that will go over little heads, but they're mostly about things like being "Beeish" (the insect equivalent of being Jewish), Larry King, and the boredom of working too hard. Oh, and a mosquito makes a blood-sucking lawyer joke.
What's the story?
Barry Benson (Jerry Seinfeld), who has just graduated from bee college, is horrified to learn that he must pick his life-long job as a worker bee and will never get a day off. But then he gets the chance to leave the hive and ends up flying into the apartment of sweet-natured florist Vanessa Bloome (Renee Zellweger), who saves him from being smooshed by her cocky boyfriend (Seinfeld vet Patrick Warburton). In addition to the interspecies crush that Barry develops on Vanessa, he finds out, to his disgust, that humans flagrantly consume honey -- the nectar his kind toil their entire lives to produce -- in everything from lip balm to tea sweeteners. At that point the comedy takes a slight backseat to a bit of courtroom drama (presided by an Oprah Winfrey-voiced judge), wherein the bees sue the honey corporations.
Is it any good?
Anyone who watches NBC, occasionally eats at McDonald's, or glances at a newspaper's arts and leisure section knows that BEE MOVIE is Jerry Seinfeld's labor of love. He's worked hard promoting the honey out of the picture. But because Seinfeld has left no marketing tool unused, the film falls slightly below expectations. The humor is there (Seinfeld is a gifted comedian, even in the form of his alter ego, animated bee Barry Benson), and the story is original, but the animation isn't nearly as amazing as Pixar's, and only a couple of characters get major laughs.
If you're looking for a sweet and easy film that even the youngest member of your tribe will enjoy, this is a safe bet. But if you're expecting a Seinfeld-like laughfest with out-of-this-world animation and a catchy soundtrack, it's not quite that buzzworthy.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about what made kids want to see this movie -- the story or all the ads and product tie-ins. Was it "buzzworthy" of all the marketing hype? What parts of the movie are intended to appeal to kids, and which ones are meant for adults? How can you tell? Families can also discuss why the bees, particularly Barry, wanted their honey returned. Kids: What were the consequences of this? What did you learn about bees and nature? Does honey seem more important now than before you saw the film?
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- Teens & kids
Kid, 11 years old
October 11, 2010
AGE
I liked this movie when i saw it in the movies but if you have younger kids who like winnie the pooh Do not let them see this movie as pooh gets shot (Traquilized) and i may take a bit to explain that the gun makes it have sweet dreams! but other than that is a good movie
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AGE
realy......
at one point the the bee and the lady think about killing them selfs! am i the only one who remebers that?
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Kid, 12 years old
June 5, 2011
AGE
Bee Movie
Imagnative movie that teaches kids about bees while alowing their imagnations to run wild. Good for any age.
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AGE
Silly kiddie film.
(Bee Movie) is a movie that is both silly and fun. This animation is pretty good,but the problem in this Dreamworks Animation children film is that it's just too silly, kiddie and predictable.Bee Movie can be funny in some parts, and it's animation is pretty good, but it's just not one of the greatest Dreamworks Animation films I've seen. There are some parts in the movie that younger children ages 6 - 7 won' t understand plus there may be some scenes that could possibly be upsetting for them. Bee Movie is on DVD today,and I do recommend seeing it on DVD (today).
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AGE
Human + Bee + Love = ???????????
Who falls in love with a bee???? how is that a good role model for little kids? besides that i thought it was cheesy, stupid, and I didn't laugh once
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Kid, 9 years old
November 15, 2011
AGE
Bee Movie
Bee movie is the bomb.
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Kid, 12 years old
May 15, 2010
AGE
No onw ould like this movie
Your kids wouldn't like this movie any further then they can throw ( dont let them).
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AGE
People. Its a movies about talking bees...
Why do people always have to point out little inaccurasies with EVERYTHING?
They're talking bees! It's a comedy!
Stop reading into things too much and relax your over-worked, under-used brains.
Anyway, I thought it was actually pretty funny. Renee really did this voice acting well and the quick script really helped the delivery of most of the jokes.
I don't know why people are saying it was too slow. If you want an adventure film that's safe to take your itsy bitsy over-protected children to... You're pretty much screwed. xD
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AGE
It was okay, but no very memorable.There are a few funny scenes, but not many. There's also some violence, but it's mild. I find it hard to really get into these Dreamworks films (with the expectation of Shrek).
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Kid, 9 years old
December 27, 2010
AGE
THE BEST!!!
I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!!
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| Topics: | bugs, friendship |
| Studio: | DreamWorks |
| Directors: | Simon J. Smith, Steve Hickner |
| Cast: | Jerry Seinfeld, Matthew Broderick, Renee Zellweger |
| Genre: | Family and Kids |
| Run time: | 90 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | November 1, 2007 |
| DVD release date: | March 10, 2008 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | mild suggestive humor, and a brief depiction of smoking. |
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