wildwesth This film, about a disconnected family and members pursuing spirituality each in their own way, introduces the viewer to many interesting ideas, plot twists, and spiritual potentials but fails each idea it promises to unveil.Unfortunately, the characters themselves have been written as one dimensional, unsympathetic, disenchanted, even frustrating. Their nearly total non-communication with each other is only exacerbated by the poor dialog they do share in very few moments.The pacing is ponderous. These are visual vignettes, but no actual relationships or personal progress develops.We really don't know at the end of the film who these people are, and most importantly, we are happy to leave them to their own imprisonment and disinterest.If the Mother is excited about her pursuits, we see nearly none of it. If the son is excited about his conversion, we see none of it at all. If the daughter is excited about the spelling Bee, we see none of it.Even the pain of the family's tragedy is buried so completely that we can easily mistake it for extremely bad acting. But an actor must have a script, and here there is none.As for the spirituality, no responsible father would ever dabble in Kabbalah or prana without proper guidance, and to do so with one's own daughter is nothing short of reckless endangerment.But again, we don't really know who the father actually is, and in most scenes he seems pleasant enough.The film winds up as a "poser" of spiritual notions, presenting things that reflect a very superficial understanding, and no actual experience with its subject matter - neither in family dynamics, character development or spirituality.Yet, the source material is an interesting juxtaposition of ideas that could have been legitimately explored by real characters. Fortunately, that film has already been made a few times by writers and directors who actually knew something of legitimate spiritual experience and succeeded entirely in bringing it to the screen: The Razor's Edge(original version) with George Marshall, Gene Tierney and Tyrone Power; or Frank Kapra's Lost Horizon, or Douglas Trumbull's Brainstorm.

cattieloves I was browsing through the comments for this movie and was sadly disappointed - it seems no one has read the book upon which the movie was based. I was reading Bee Season and heard there was a movie that was made a few years ago, so I made a mental note to check it out when I finished the book. Then, when I saw it in a bargain bin at K-Mart for $5, I couldn't pass it up.I popped it in and immediately loved the cast - Richard Gere was an unexpected but wonderful choice for Saul, and Ms. Binoche made an achingly poignant Miriam. The casting for Aaron and Eliza was great, too, although I pictured Aaron more stereotypically nerdy (he was far too attractive and mainstream in the movie, I thought - in the book, he was constantly being made fun of and picked on). They made subtle changes in the movie, some I wasn't very thrilled with - changing Aaron and Saul's guitars to a cello and a violin, changing the time line of the story so that Eliza only goes through one bee season instead of two, etc. And I thought changing Chali's gender was a big mistake - in the book, Aaron was attracted to Chali's seemingly freeing beliefs, not because he had pretty blonde hair and big dreamy eyes. I would just say to anyone who is thinking of seeing this movie, and to those who were dissatisfied with it, READ THE BOOK! Please, go and read it - don't let your judgement of the movie cloud the beautiful and interesting story that Myla Goldberg has invented. Ms. Goldberg has a profound gift for prose, and she weaves the tale from every perspective represented. Because she writes with third-person omniscience, you as the reader get a chance to see into each character's thoughts at all times, which really helps you get a sense of the real story going on as the family unravels. You find that Eliza is incredibly sensitive and mature for a nine-year-old, that Aaron is desperate for deep and heartfelt validation as a person and as a man, and searches for it everywhere, and that Saul is the sort of person so wrapped up with big and lofty things that he misses the beautiful, seemingly insignificant but jarringly important things all around him, like the fact that his children are clamoring for his attention and love, and his wife has been stealing for 18 years. Seriously, how distracted can you be?You even begin to relate to Miriam's frantic attempts to put herself back together through taking things that don't belong to her. If this author can make stealing seem reasonable, ha ha, I'd say she is going to do great things. I, for one, am looking forward to scouring the library for other Myla Goldberg novels. A warning, though: there are some scenes in the book that, if included in the movie, would have given it an "R" or even an "X" rating. Just FYI for those who are interested. So, as a summary: Bee Season the movie - So so. Bee Season the book - Wonderful.

moviesleuth2 "Bee Season" is an engrossing little film, despite being very strange. I've wanted to see this film ever since I saw its beautiful trailer, and I have to say, the trailer is nothing like the movie (though maybe that's a good thing anyway, since it gives the public a listen to Scott Mallone's haunting song). Still, it warrants a recommendation, if you're in the mood for something a little different. Okay, something VERY different."Bee Season" tells the story of a Californian family (not the kind one would normally associate with California-this isn't Newport Beach). Saul (Richard Gere) is the patriarch, a professor who studies Jewish mysticism. Mother Miriam (Juliette Binoche) is a scientist who practices some rather unusual activities outside the home and the lab. Aaron (Max Minghella) finds new religion. And daughter Eliza (Flora Cross) finds herself at the center of attention when she wins a spelling bee.The film touches on a lot of elements; some of which I got, others I didn't. Directors Scott McGhee and David Siegel use many literary techniques to adapt Myla Goldberg's novel to the screen. Symbolism is prominent both in meaning and approach (I won't go into details to avoid giving anything away).The acting really centers around the four leads. Richard Gere has geared his time towards roles that allow him to act instead of be a "moviestar." His portrayal of Saul is excellent. He is so self-absorbed that he is blind to everyone else's needs and emotions. Gere allows him to be aloof, but ordinary on the surface, not stuck up (he believes in what he's saying). Juliette Binoche is excellent as always (I can't say anything more). Max Minghella is great as the jealous older brother, though he doesn't go for the cliché and take it out on Eliza, he goes for the source (Saul). Newcomer Flora Cross is excellent as Eliza, who has so much suddenly thrown upon her shoulders.In a way, "Bee Season" is more of a mystery than a suburban drama (though it contains heavy elements of the latter). The story elements are presented a little at a time, and the focus switches from person to person. Yet McGhee and Siegel keep everything flowing like water, and it never drags. The film draws you in and completely envelops you with its spell. Credit goes to the director for being able to do that.I recommend the film, but its not for everyone. It's for people who pay attention and appreciate intelligent drama. Flawed, but worth your time if that describes you.

vietboi612 It's true.. the book is always better than the movie. I thought that this movie was very disappointing to watch after having reading the book.The movie moves too fast, though I can understand because of time limit, to actually give the viewers the concepts that the book gives. A lot of details and events are cut from the book that is important to the story as a whole. The script seems undeveloped, and the actors/actresses carried out their character with mediocre performances.Saul (Richard Gere) is somewhat true to his character. The only thing he is obsessed with is to enable Eliza to communicate with God. He does this in a way that is the most true to novel.Aaron's (Max Minghella) appearance is very different from that described in the book. He is described as a pale and scrawny young man, who is incapable of getting dates and is a social outcast. His search for a new religion seems unreasonable and spontaneous in the movie, and I thought it didn't really capture his true character.Miriam's (Julliete) kleptomania is weird in both the book and the movie. Her actions in the book seems more reasonable when I knew her purposes for doing it. In the movie I thought it was a very random thing for her to do.Eliza (Flora Cross) is a young actress, and is limited to what she can do. Her acting is very mediocre at best, and does not convince me of Eliza that is in the novel.Chali, which I am surprised to see, have been transformed from a middle-aged man into a young blond girl. I can understand why they did that, but that just adds to the falseness of Aaron's character.Overall I think the movie is an average depiction of Bee Season. I can't say that they did a nice job of sticking to the plot. It's almost impossible to transform a novel into a movie with everything in the book.