accessAtlanta

Little works dramatically or emotionally in 'Bee Season'
by Eleanor Ringel

In "Bee Season," Richard Gere stars as Saul Naumann, a religious studies professor and a cultured West Coast metrosexual who likes to cook gourmet meals — and clean up. He has a beautiful wife and a favorite son, with whom he plays violin duets. Of less interest to him is his daughter, a shy, withdrawn fifth-grader who seems to have accepted her place at the bottom of the Naumann household food chain. Until, that is, she starts winning spelling bees like Lance Armstrong wins bicycle races. Read the full review

TO SUM UP
When Eliza wins a spelling bee, she garners an invitation not only to the national competition, but also to the world of words and Jewish mysticism that have so long captivated her father's imagination. But Eliza's unexpected success hurls the family dynamic into a tailspin; long-held secrets emerge and she is forced to depend upon her own divination to hold the family together.

FILM FACTS ...

Fox Searchlight Pictures

'Bee Season'

Directors: Scott McGehee, David Siegel
Cast: Richard Gere, Juliette Binoche, Flora Cross, Max Minghella, Kate Bosworth
Run time: 104 minutes
Release date: Nov. 11, 2005
Rating: PG-13 for thematic elements, a scene of sensuality and brief strong language.
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On the web
Official movie site
View the trailer
Trailers require Quicktime

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READ THE REVIEW

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: D+
"Earnest and heartfelt and respectful. And a botch."

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Austin American-Statesman: 3 of 5 stars
"Saul's ideas sound intriguing in the beginning and barely progress from there — the filmmakers can spell them out, use them in a sentence and define them, but can't quite breathe life into them."

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The Palm Beach Post: B+
"Unlike the documentary and the stage show, this fiction film goes far beyond the bee to a story of spirituality, mysticism and an affluent, but rudderless Oakland, Calif., family."