A house painted pink and a bevy of beautiful, talented actresses still can't make this movie fly for me. Despite its good intentions and marvelous cast, I couldn't get past the unfortunate fact that the story revolves around a brat of a main character who seems to be poison to everyone whose path she crosses. Yes, I'm referring to Dakota Fanning as Lily. I have to admit that this actress has always annoyed me, so perhaps I'm not objective enough to rate any performance she gives, but in this case it's also the character who bugs. Lily is the victim of a horrifying family situation and is obviously set up for our sympathy. At 4 years old she accidentally shoots and kills her own mother. Then life with her angry, redneck father (an almost unrecognizable Paul Bettany) becomes wretched, with dear old dad shoving, shouting and forcing the girl to kneel in a pile of grits as punishment. At 14 Lily runs away, accompanied by the family housekeeper Rosaleen (the wonderful Jennifer Hudson), who has been beaten by one of the locals. After recognizing a label on a jar of honey as one of her mother's keepsakes, Lily heads for a place called Tiburon where the honey is made. Here she and Rosaleen encounter a house full of sisters: August (Queen Latifah), June (Alicia Keys) and May (Sophie Okonedo). These cultured, supportive women provide a safe haven as Lily learns beekeeping along with parts of her mother's secret past.
There are certainly many things to like in this movie, particularly the strong performances by Jennifer Hudson and Sophie Okonedo, but an overload of nobility weighs down the character of August despite Queen Latifah's obvious talent. Alicia Keys does an excellent job switching gears from singer to actress, and there's good chemistry between her and Nate Parker as her boyfriend Neil. Paul Bettany chews the scenery as Lily's nasty father, but there's not much he can do with this one dimensional character. The injustices of the times (1964) are well represented as they impact the every day lives of the characters, an aspect I wish had been further explored in place of Lily's relentless perils.
Things to love about this movie: The wailing wall May has set up in the yard; a light hearted scene of singing and dancing in the kitchen; the black Mary statue from which the women gain strength and courage
Things to hate about this movie: The perpetually whining and clueless Lily involves herself in situations that prove dangerous to others when she should know better
Pleasant surprises: Delightful performance by young actor Tristan Wilds playing what could have been a throwaway character
Unpleasant surprises: A capitulation to tradition that seems out of character for one of the sisters; Jennifer Hudson should have been given more screen time and Dakota Fanning less
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2 comments:
I passed on this movie even before reading your review, although the presence of Queen Latifah and Sophie Okonedo almost drew me in, as both have such talent.
Based on your judicious criticism, I probably made the right choice although I might give it a try if it shows up on my On Demand.
Thanks for your comment.
For me, the movie is worth seeing and I probably would have liked it more if not for Dakota Fanning. It isn't really my type of movie, but I wanted to see it for the cast.
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