Nearly 5-years in the making, Jerry Seinfeld’s “Bee Movie” is finally here!
The animated film stars Seinfeld as Barry B. Benson, a bee who’s just graduated from college and now has to take a job in the honey factory with all the other bees. But Barry wants to leave the hive and check-out the human world. And so he does and once out he meets Vanessa, a florist (voiced by Renee Zellweger), who saves his life. Did I mention that the bees speak English and that humans can understand them?
Well, Barry speaks to Vanessa and they become friends. During a trip to the supermarket Barry learns that humans have been taking all of the bees’ honey. And so, with the help of Vanessa, Barry sues to get the honey back so all bees won’t have to work so hard.
“Bee Movie” is just O.K. There aren’t as many laughs as I was expecting. The voice work is pretty good, but at times it sounded as if the actors were reading their lines. And several of the characters are a little over the top in both the way they’re animated and how they act.
The overall look of the movie is outstanding. The colors, especially during the outdoor flying scenes, are amazing. And you do learn a lot about the lives of bees, pollination and the making of honey.
Chris Rock, Mathew Broderick, Oprah Winfrey, Ray Liota and Larry King also provide voices. I wish there were more scenes with Chris Rock’s mosquito. He was probably the funniest character in the movie.
“Bee Movie” is rated PG. Seinfeld says he wrote the script for adults. I wouldn’t recommend the movie for kids under 8. The story isn’t funny enough to keep them interested and they won’t get most of the jokes.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “Bee Movie” gets a C+. No, not a B(ee), a C+. Sorry, Jerry.