La mémoire volée

When I first came across this movie at the video store, I had previously heard nothing about it; however, the storyline interested me, and I was also familiar with both Elijah Wood and Rachael Leigh Cook.

As indicated in others' comments, the storyline depicts Barney Snow [Elijah Wood], a young man who is the only "non-terminal" patient in an experimental hospital for terminally-ill youngsters. He is initially advised by the doctor [Janeane Garofalo] to remain "detached" as he encounters the other patients. However, before long he develops friendships with several of them --- Allie, a young kid who stutters and has some sort of brain disease; Billy, a wisecracking but honest kid (he appears to me that he is in his teens) with a kidney disorder; and Alberto a.k.a "Mazzo", who appears to be around Barney's age, acts somewhat hostile and has bone cancer. Barney especially develops a close bond with Mazzo's fraternal twin sister Cassie [Rachael Leigh Cook], to whom he regularly reports Mazzo's condition as Mazzo won't see her when she visits.

The title comes from the notion that a bumblebee is able to fly even though scientifically its wings are too small, and this is the basis of the experiment being done on Barney.

Although I found the movie somewhat slow-moving, and the storyline sometimes unrealistic as he learns the truth of why he is there, I still enjoyed it. I like sensitive storylines, and even though I generally prefer they be a little less serious than what this was, this movie still ranks as one of my favorites. It was also the first time I had seen Elijah Wood in a role other than in a "cute little kiddie" or "teeny-bopper" movie, and I thought he did an excellent job. He and Rachael Leigh Cook seemed to work well together.

I wouldn't recommend this to everyone --- if you prefer something more upbeat, you probably would not like this movie. However, I would advise anyone who thinks this seems even remotely interesting to give it a chance.

The Bumblebee Flies Anyway was certainly a drama. People die, sad things happen, and the viewer is blown away by the stunning storytelling. That's what it's supposed to be, right? And was it, in this case? Sort of. Major plot points came and went without much surprise from me. But I still found it interesting and entertaining. The title comes from the fact that bumblebees are actually too big for their wings, and shouldn't be able to fly, but they do. The acting was fine, but it's funny to see that Elijah Wood did better than Janeane Garofolo. The script was similarly passable. Soundtrack: Pretty good, and sometimes quite effective.

On the plus side, some awesome questions are asked, and that's what makes this so powerful. I can't go into detail without giving away the plot. Overall, it's not a waste of time, but there are probably better movies out there. I'd recommend it for people who like to ponder philosophically.

I really tried to like this movie because I really like some of the actors in it. But - it had so many flaws that any thinking person should have found it unwatchable.

This film is so full of confusing and implausible scenes and especially reactions that it's hard to accept almost any following scene without wondering what the heck had just happened. Or why it happened. And the cinematography was uneven. Some of the shots were nice, where others were shot so badly that I wondered if they had handed the camera to Forrest Gump himself.

Okay, to start, the Elijah Wood character is supposed to be stricken with amnesia, which would be profoundly disturbing and worrisome for any real person. Elijah does stress over this, randomly, now and again, in brief and obvious shots. But it's amazingly understated. That's just one example of how all the players under-react (or badly act) to every situation in Bumblebee.

As much as it tried to be different and, I guess, 'artsy', this film is as chock full of obtuse emotional manipulation as any mainstream, big budget, Hollywood piece of crap: feel sorry for the dying kids, understand the detached but not-really-detached doctor, ache for the long-shot romance, laugh with and love the funny kid, but worry about his health. Please.

The worst things about this terrible piece of work were the dialogue and the acting. I honestly don't think the actors are to be entirely blamed for their bad performances. There's only so much one can do with a botched script and bad directing. There are many moments when you feel like you're watching a teeny-bop romp (albeit, a depressing one) or a watch-by-numbers after school special.

It's all very confusing how the movie slaps scenes together which don't fit, and barely explains things which clearly need more definition.

The idea wasn't bad. It could have been an okay film, at least. But they screwed it up all the way through.

Thumbs (and other ligaments) down.

I found this film tedious and slow. A boy admits himself into a research facility for terminal patients. He isn't terminal, but is part of an experiment to conquer cancer by removing the brain's memory of the disease. He spends most of his time interacting with the other patients and trying to remember his past. This was just another dull and tepid film in a long line of flimsy tear jerkers.

The Bumblebee Flies Anyway is a mysterious maze of a movie, twisting and turning throughout its hour and a half time span. What you see is what you believe, and what you believe is what becomes reality. This is mind over matter. Despite the laws of aerodynamics, bumblebees can fly. These concepts are the basis for an experiment involving Barney Snow.

Barney Snow (Elijah Wood) is a young man with amnesia. He cannot remember anything prior to his arrival at a small experimental hospital, and some days, he even has trouble remembering his own name. He is the only amnesia patient in a hospital for terminally ill children, so the doctor warns him to remain detached.

Such a warning is hard to heed when Barney's home (and all he remembers) is the hospital. Naturally, the other patients become friends, even family to him. His new friends include Billy (George Gore II), a boy with a kidney disorder inherited from deceased parents, and Mazzo (Joe Perrino), a young man with bone cancer. Mazzo's twin sister, Cassie (Rachael Leigh Cook), comes to visit her brother, and meets Barney.

Barney's relationships are truly beautiful. He is not rude or condescending to the others in the hospital-nor does he seem to pity them. He takes them for their personalities, looking beyond face value. Even though Mazzo is constantly angry about his disease and projects this at Barney, the two share an amazing bond. Barney won't stop trying with Mazzo. When Mazzo gets mad at Barney, Barney doesn't pity him-he exchanges tense banter. They are real characters; they have human traits, beliefs, and struggles. Billy, the boy with the kidney problem, is a stoic, sarcastic, and even humorous child with something to say about everyone and everything. He ignores his own disease, but he doesn't deny it. His sarcasm provides a way of dealing with his problems. Finally, there is the element of romance, coming into play with Cassie and Barney. This is a subtle, effective romance, one that makes sense and moves at the right pace. Both Cassie and Barney are at crossroads in their lives, and this is reflected in their time together.

The film itself is a pensive piece. The maze that it is must be solved before it makes sense, but then it does. Every twist and turn are accounted for finally. The last approximately twenty minutes are truly outstanding. It shows something about human nature and the reality of life.