MovieMantz Review: ‘Bee Movie’

“It Stings”

by Scott Mantz

“Bee Movie”
Starring: Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger
Directed by: Simon J. Smith and Steve Hickner

After being the master of his domain for almost a decade – and 9 years after his top-rated TV sitcom bowed out gracefully – Jerry Seinfeld returns to the spotlight with his much-buzzed-about big screen venture, “Bee Movie.” And quite frankly, it stings. Not that it matters, since families are bound to swarm around it anyway. But considering that Seinfeld also co-produced and co-wrote the screenplay, the resulting film is not nearly as funny, clever or witty as one would have hoped.

Barry B. Benson (voiced by Jerry Seinfeld) is one busy bee – literally – but he has his sights set on bigger and better things. Rather than work in the hive, he breaks out into the real world, where he meets a spirited Manhattan florist named Vanessa (voiced by Renee Zellweger). Of course, one thing leads to another, and yada, yada, yada. But when Barry discovers that people are making money from the bees’ own honey, he does what any self-respecting worker bee would do – he sues the entire human race.

If it all sounds rather silly, that’s because it is – even for a film that’s supposed to suspend your disbelief. But that model still worked for last summer’s “Ratatouille,” thanks to a smart, clever, heartfelt story where the main characters developed a mutually beneficial relationship that transcended their need for verbal communication. The rats talked to the rats, and the humans talked to the humans – but they didn’t talk to each other, and that made it easier to take.

Not so with “Bee Movie.” In fact, when Barry and Vanessa break that wall and go so far as to develop a crush on each other, it feels like too much of a stretch. It doesn’t help that the screenplay simply isn’t that clever, despite the fact that it bears some similarities to superior computer-animated hits like “A Bug’s Life” and “Monsters, Inc.” To that extent, it just goes to prove that when it comes to films like these, Disney-Pixar still has the corner on the market.

The animation is bright, sunny and colorful, and it does have its moments (thanks to gags that feature Ray Liotta and Sting), so that should keep kids entertained enough for the duration of its 90-minute running time. But otherwise, it’s highly unlikely that they will “get” Seinfeld’s ironic sense of humor, while adults will be disappointed that the film doesn’t live up to the laugh-out-loud standards set by his enormously popular sitcom. So while I was hoping to give “Bee Movie” an A, it will unfortunately have to settle for a C-minus.

VERDICT: SKIP IT!