Bee Movie

I always get a little worried when I see a movie getting over-hyped. With many of the summer blockbusters and Christmas flicks, this constant barrage of commercials and tie-ins start to make me think that the worried studio needs this extra pull before the critics begin with their negative reviews. While I thought many of Jerry Seinfeld’s mini Bee Movie shorts on NBC were funny, it felt a little desperate. I’m surprised he didn’t go door to door. But apparently, Jerry and Dreamworks felt that their cartoon was that good. And I am inclined to agree with them. Mostly.

I’m pretty confident in saying that Bee Movie is the best cartoon that has been put out by Dreamworks. If you have read my previous reviews, I have not been a big Shrek fan and let’s not even consider Shark Tale. Not only is Bee Movie more intelligent and fun, but the animation looks a lot more crisp than the studio’s previous efforts. Now is Bee Movie better than Pixar’s fare? No. Pixar is still the reigning champ when it comes to animation and story, but Bee Movie is a step in the right direction. If this studio can keep this kind of talent in the writing room and animation wing, it may have a chance at giving Pixar a run for their money.

When watching Bee Movie, you can tell that Jerry Seinfeld had a big hand in making it. While he provides the voice for Barry B Benson, our film’s protagonist, he is also one of the four writers. His patented observational humour is nicely sprinkled in with the sight gags, puns and clever quips. I would also venture to say that Bee Movie is probably one of the most sarcastic kids films I have ever seen. There seems to be a lot more jokes aimed at the adults rather than the kids. If I were a young kid watching this film, I would probably enjoy the bee hive sequences and some of the bee interactions with humans, but a lot of the film, (especially the courtroom scenes) would go over my head. I’m guessing most nine year olds haven’t seen Goodfellas or know who Ray Liotta is. But it made me laugh, so should I really care about the intended audience? Unlike Shrek, which I sometimes found inappropriate for kids, Bee Movie just seemed a little too clever for its own good.

Maybe it’s because I enjoy watching Seinfeld, but I found myself forgiving a lot of flaws that would normally rile me up. The story kind of veers all over the place; it starts off with work and relationships and then dramatically shifts to justice and environmental issues. But I forgave that. Bee Movie seems to revel in its stunt casting with everyone from Seinfeld alums Puddy and Kramer to Chris Rock and Oprah Winfrey. But I forgave that. Actually, I spent a bunch of the movie playing “guess the voice-over.” Bee Movie stars Renee Zellweger. But I forgave that. The film also had a slightly creepy love story between a bee and a human. Okay, I can’t forgive that, I still find it weird and off-putting.

Bee Movie was a lot of fun. I would see it in theatres just to appreciate some fine animation and clever writing. You know, I would love to hear what children think of this film. They wouldn’t have this pre-conceived notion of Jerry Seinfeld and his type of humour. Maybe you should take your kids to see Bee Movie and then drop me a line and tell me what they thought. By the way, I am proud of the fact that I managed to write this review without resorting to bee puns. You’re welcome.

In case anyone is keeping count. This is my 100th blog._________(Send presents.)