Le secret de Lily Owens

Dakota Fanning plays a teen named Lilly who has lost her mother. She goes in search of answers and ends up in the home of a woman (Queen Latifah) and her sisters, who own bee hives and bottle the honey for a living. Living with the women, she finds purpose in life. A subplot has her unpleasant stepdad looking for her. The story is set in the 1960s Deep South, so there's plenty of racial discord. The movie may remind some of THE COLOR PURPLE or FRIED GREEN TOMATOES. For those old enough to remember, it also bears overtones of A MEMBER OF THE WEDDING. Fanning is heartbreaking as the troubled child and Latifah plays the family matriarch like she was born to it. A good movie, but too long (well over two hours) for its slender plot.

This movie is probably classified as a woman's empowerment film. I suppose it is that, especially for Black woman.

I'm not a woman, much less a Black woman. Still, I found this movie to be a uniformly fine creation. It has everything I want in a movie: clearly defined and well-developed characters played by actors - or, in this case, actresses - who know how to deliver carefully modulated and developed performances. The story is about how a young white girl learns to stand on her own feet, but the most interesting parts of the movie are definitely those that develop the various black characters.

I never looked at my watch once during this movie, much less went out to refill my popcorn. This is what movies are supposed to be - presentations of interesting characters participating in an interesting and involving story - but too seldom are.

Even if you're a white guy, this movie has a lot to offer.

I don't go around throwing 10's around for movie ratings, but I extremely impressed by this movie. The emotional and visual scope offered by the story, the cinematography, and the acting, gave all viewers with eyes to see and ears to hear, a wonderful treat. I'm sure not everyone loves this particular type of movie, but if you haven't been desensitized by the CGI and special effects of many of today's movies, you'll appreciate the very core of this movie, which is the human struggle - especially the depiction of the search for identity, and the need to give and received compassion from those living on this big blue marble together with us. A reminder of the racism of a not too far distant time, and the timeless theme of love, death, friendship, and compassion, add the effective seasoning that helps us all relate in some very tangible way to this movie. Enjoy it with someone you care about, and taste the honey.

These are cynical times, and the U.S. is still struggling with it's feelings on race, even today. The more of these types of movies, the better. Simple human love comes through in every frame. After a summer of superheroes and sex humor comedies, this was the most life affirming and refreshing film I've seen so far this year. If the academy doesn't recognize some folks from this film, they'd be remiss. I smell Oscar all over this film. Queen Latifah was wonderful as usual. Sophie Okonedo played an emotionally damaged woman with perfect pitch and demeanor. Paul Bettany's performance of the alternately hurt and hurtful father was a challenge. You needed to both hate him, and sympathize with him for the role to be effective, and I thought he pulled this off well. Just simply a moving story, a great script, top notch acting, and all beautifully shot. I place it in the must see category.

I loved the novel.

I liked, very much, this adaptation of it. It represents not only a beautiful but a profound useful film, reminding essential truths and offering admirable performances, imspired images and one of good kicks to discover the beauty of life and the high significance of love , to be part of family and the reconciliation with bitterness of past.

This makes it an experience more than a real good film. And just this fact real matters.

I loved the music and the gentle definition of refuges.

And , sure, I write again, I was just seduced by the great performances , Queen Latifah being almost perfect as August.

So, the gift is the taste of honey , metaphorical, off course and a wood statue , present itself , reminding the things, essential things, defining us as clay of happiness.