Well I loved this movie. I thought it was al little sad because someone does kill them selves. There is just a gentle kissing and there is some abuse. Also this is when there was segregation in it so that isn't a positive message.
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The Secret Life of Bees
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings(Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)
Not age appropriate for kids under 11, age appropriate for kids over 13; suggested age 13. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
1960s-set family drama tackles weighty issues.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 13 and Up
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
About The Secret Life of Bees
Parents need to know that this emotional, 1960s-set drama includes multiple scenes of a man reacting violently toward his wife and daughter. The child witnesses her father's assault on her mother (resulting in off-camera gunshots and death); as a young teen, the same child is the victim of heartless physical and mental punishment. The unexpected discovery of a beloved character's dead body is intense and may be disturbing to some young viewers. African-American characters suffer at the hands of prejudiced white Southerners in many scenes. Racial hatred is illustrated by ugly name-calling (including use of the "N" word) and two beatings. But in spite of all of the above, the filmmakers don't exploit or maximize the action. They show only as much as necessary to provide the desired impact.
Read our full review by Renee Schonfeld
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about the movie's messages. More than 40 years have passed since the events in the film took place. How have racial politics changed? How haven't they? Families can also discuss what Lily was looking for when she left home. Why did she take Rosaleen with her? How did Lily's innocent acceptance of her African-American friends get them in trouble? Do the filmmakers show that Lily's father learned a lesson? Parents and teens who've read the book the movie is based on can compare and contrast the two. Which do you like better? Why?
Our Members Say
Most Recent Reviews
- I rate this title on for age 13 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
The secret like of this review.
- I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
- I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
I loved it but think its to intense for young crowds
- I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
I loved it but think its to intense for young crowds
- I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
My review
This movie is sad,rascist,and abusive. The father abused his wife, and his daughter. The daughter accidently kills her mother when she was little with a gun. A girl May is shown drowned in a lake, and dead. A colored woman is beaten, and so is a colored man.
- I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
i credit laughed
i would love to watch this movie because i erd about it from my friend and they said they love it so iwana watch it too please with a chocalate on top please make me watch this movie
- I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
Very Good
WHen I watched this with my mom and sister, I was crying and laughing. I couldn't get out of my seat. But in the middle of the movie, there was something really shocking that made practicly everyone in the theater cry. At the end i cryed so hard. It had a very happy ending. I loved it.
- I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
It was a very touching movie that left me teary-eyed
This movie takes place in the time of unequal rights for colored people. It is about a girl named Lily who runs away from her neglecting father to find out the truth about her dead mother. She travels with her house-keeper, a black woman named Rosalina, and finds a link between a family of black woman and what she is looking for. They take her in and care for her and Rosalina. This is a very touching movie that I recommend for all people 11 and up. A must see. Hope my review helps you! -i love dogs
- I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it
This movie made me cry!
Despite the violence and other elements already mentioned in Common Sense's review, I thought this movie was very good. I think the message behind this film is very relevant; we all have a past, which can be terrible and frightening, but our friends and loved ones can be a great source of comfort to us. Also, racism still exists today in some areas. African Americans have not always had the right to vote and other rights today. We have to remember that.
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