Film

Dakota Fanning does not get raped in this movie; she’s not even stung by a wasp. But she once again plays, as she did in the odious Hounddog, a damaged white child in the Civil Rights–era Deep South who is cared for by strong, near-mystical African-Americans. Though the template may be noxiously familiar, The Secret Life of Bees does, at least, give its black characters roles more involving than that of psychic wet nurse.

Adapting Sue Monk Kidd’s soft feminist 2002 best-seller, director Gina Prince-Bythewood (2000’s Love & Basketball) generously showcases her ensemble cast’s talents. Fanning, as 14-year-old Lily, escapes her mean daddy with the family housekeeper (Hudson) in tow to the home of August Boatwright (Latifah) and her two sisters, June and May (Keys and Okonedo), the proprietors of Black Madonna Honey. June has a love life and fiery political outrage, which Keys conveys with pleasing sneers; Okonedo brings some complexity to the thankless role of the emotionally disturbed sibling. Even Fanning proves to be a touching teen actor. But the real fascination here is watching Latifah, who to the film’s disservice but to her credit seems to chafe at her surrogate-mother role. She may be the Queen, but she’s not the queen bee.