Spring Break
Seinfeld's 'Bee Movie' Bumbles
Movie Review
Fernando Dutra
Issue date: 11/6/07 Section: Focus
Chances are that if you're a fan of Jerry Seinfeld you've already heard about "Bee Movie," the film he co-wrote, co-produced and starred in. For those that haven't, here's a summary: it's a movie about nothing.
Barry B. Benson (Seinfeld), recent hive college graduate, is appalled to discover that the job he chooses, which ranges from crud picker to stirrer, will also be the only job he will have throughout his life in the hive. Dreaming of a life beyond that of the hive, Benson accompanies the pollen jocks - the bees that collect pollen and nectar from flowers - to the outside world. Benson is separated from them, meets florist Vanessa Bloome (Renée Zellweger), discovers how the human race is profiting on the labor of bees and decides to bring them to court to hold them accountable for this. This build-up in the plot occurs naturally, but after the court case, the final third of the film falls subject to kiddy fodder fare and spirals into completely absurd territory.
Despite "Bee Movie" being a computer generated film in the same vein as "Shrek," conversations between characters are pandering, with most of them puttering in familiar Seinfeld territory. When Vanessa and Benson first speak to each other, about two minutes are spent establishing the fact that the two are speaking to each other, with each one alternating between "I'm talking to a bee?" and "Yes, you are speaking to a bee," respectively.
The film dabbles in the trite "insect is smaller than human creations" effectively, balancing something mundane like Benson being pulled through the engine of a car for the first time to incorporating the film's strongest point - its dialogue - when Benson mistakes a light bulb for the sun the first time when he sees it.
"I don't remember the sun having a 75 on it," Benson says as he flies towards it in a trance-like state. As is to be expected, the film takes the bee/insect theme as far as it can go, such as honey being used as toothpaste, sunscreen and morphine. Insects talk to each other about their species' customs. A mosquito by the name of Mooseblood (Chris Rock) talks about how none of the mosquitoes stay together and always look out for themselves.
Barry B. Benson (Seinfeld), recent hive college graduate, is appalled to discover that the job he chooses, which ranges from crud picker to stirrer, will also be the only job he will have throughout his life in the hive. Dreaming of a life beyond that of the hive, Benson accompanies the pollen jocks - the bees that collect pollen and nectar from flowers - to the outside world. Benson is separated from them, meets florist Vanessa Bloome (Renée Zellweger), discovers how the human race is profiting on the labor of bees and decides to bring them to court to hold them accountable for this. This build-up in the plot occurs naturally, but after the court case, the final third of the film falls subject to kiddy fodder fare and spirals into completely absurd territory.
Despite "Bee Movie" being a computer generated film in the same vein as "Shrek," conversations between characters are pandering, with most of them puttering in familiar Seinfeld territory. When Vanessa and Benson first speak to each other, about two minutes are spent establishing the fact that the two are speaking to each other, with each one alternating between "I'm talking to a bee?" and "Yes, you are speaking to a bee," respectively.
The film dabbles in the trite "insect is smaller than human creations" effectively, balancing something mundane like Benson being pulled through the engine of a car for the first time to incorporating the film's strongest point - its dialogue - when Benson mistakes a light bulb for the sun the first time when he sees it.
"I don't remember the sun having a 75 on it," Benson says as he flies towards it in a trance-like state. As is to be expected, the film takes the bee/insect theme as far as it can go, such as honey being used as toothpaste, sunscreen and morphine. Insects talk to each other about their species' customs. A mosquito by the name of Mooseblood (Chris Rock) talks about how none of the mosquitoes stay together and always look out for themselves.
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