Parents' Guide to

The Secret Life of Bees

By Renee Longstreet, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

1960s-set family drama tackles weighty issues.

Movie PG-13 2008 110 minutes
The Secret Life of Bees Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 13+

Based on 6 parent reviews

Imduf
Imduf Parent
June 20, 2019
age 13+

Hard

This is a hard movie about family. For mature teens really good movie and it is good to make your kids watch this when they are young this talks a lot about what people go threw with life about 50 years ago. With people who don’t get treated equally because they are black. And a kid who gets abused but goes to a house that welcomes her and is connected to her mother 1 death with a sister who was depressed and was so sad that her sister had died then you had to guess what was wrong probably after she didn’t think as clear as she may have before. The main character kills her mother when she was four with a gun that was laying around she didn’t know what it would do. The main character learns about her past and learns that she was loved. She went from having NO mother’s to having THREE!!!

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
braedon13h
braedon13h Adult
July 25, 2018
age 12+

The Secret life of bees

The Secret life of bees: Language: 6/10- Mild language spoken sometimes such as, "D--n", "A-a", and "Hell" characters mention the "N" word for threatening African Americans. Characters speak rudely to each other. Sexual Content: 3/10- 2 Adults kiss multiple times. And 2 teenagers share a long kiss with each other. Violence: 6/10- African Americans are treated poorly by being beaten up and punched. A father abuses his wife and daughter. A girl accidentally shot her mother. And a lady commits suicide because of a mental illness. Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco use/references: 4/10- A father is shown drinking beer in a couple of scenes, he also is shown smoking, following with other characters. I would rate this movie PG-13 - Strong violence and language, and some drug material.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Running from a cruel and ignorant father -- as well as the uncertainty and guilt surrounding the death of her mother years earlier -- 14-year-old Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning) rescues Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson), a nanny who's become a fugitive, and sets out on a journey to find a place for herself in the world, as well as answers to questions about her mother's love. It's South Carolina in 1964: The president has just signed landmark Civil Rights legislation, and racial tensions are running high. Guided by some of Lily's mother's mementos, Lily and Rosaleen find their way to the home of the Boatwrights, a family of African-American women who run a thriving honey farm. Matriarch August Boatwright (Queen Latifah), takes the runaways in and, along with an assorted group of family and friends, provides them with a home, a heart, and answers.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6):
Kids say (25):

Director/writer Gina Prince-Bythewood is nothing if not earnest in her attempt to bring Sue Monk Kidd's heartwarming novel to the screen. The visuals in THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES pay tribute to the beauty of the South, its warm "honey" tones and thick, sweet air. The music is particularly wonderful and enriches the film's emotional core.

But it's not a fully successful dramatization because the movie's heroes are almost all saintly and perfect, speaking in timeless homilies and maxims. The villains, on the other hand, are unrelentingly bad. Only Lily has the nuance of character that makes a movie more a work of art than a lesson to be learned.

Talk to Your Kids 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?

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate