Whatever your opinion is of Jerry Seinfeld, you have to give him some credit for being shrewd enough to realize that he is not an actor and definitely not a movie star. This also seems to be the reason that the comedian has decided to make his big-screen debut—eight years after the end of his sitcom Seinfeld—in an animated movie. The only problem is that the animated movie in question is the utterly generic, unfunny Bee Movie, which has less in common with Seinfeld than it does with, say, The Michael Richards Show, meaning it’s just another bad post-Seinfeld career move. This is the most interesting aspect of the entire movie: Why this and why now?
It’s hard to imagine the movie not being pitched with a Seinfeldian “What is the deal with bees?” However, as far as animated films go, it abides by the standard formula. You get a generally feared, misunderstood group—in this case, bees—who turn out to be just like us, and everyone lives in harmony and understanding by the time the credits hit. In the case of Bee Movie, we get Barry B. Benson (Seinfeld), a young honey bee fresh from college, who soon realizes the stark reality that the rest of his life will be spent in the same job making honey, without a single day off. He soon ventures out into the world, where he not only breaks the “bee law” of speaking to a human (a florist voiced by Renée Zellweger), but also discovers that humans have been stealing and selling honey. Barry decides to sue the honey industry, giving us the world’s first animated courtroom drama.
It’s obvious from the get-go that Seinfeld and the film’s three other writers have made their living writing for television, since all the focus is on jokes as opposed to the plot. This would be fine, except they forgot the first rule of comedy: Be funny. Instead, they must have interpreted this as “bee funny” (I’m so sorry about that), since the film’s peppered with the kind of puns that would make Gene Shalit proud and some Shrek-style pop-culture references (featuring the likes of Sting, Larry King and Ray Liotta). They even manage to combine the two into one groan-inducing, unholy pun/pop-culture abomination by squeezing The Archies’ “Sugar Sugar” into the film.
Even when the makers get something right, they manage to botch it, such as with Chris Rock’s inclusion in the film. Rock’s mosquito is the only amusing part of the entire movie, yet he’s only on-screen for maybe a minute, and that estimate might be on the generous side. In fact, I’m pretty sure he had more screen time in the film’s original teaser trailer than he does in the actual movie. And even the usual saving grace of being only 90 minutes doesn’t help here, since the movie has that rare quality of bending space and time in order to instead feel two hours long.
No matter what anyone says about the injection of “Seinfeldian wit” into the film, the movie is still nothing more than run-of-the-mill—from the lackluster, personality-free animation to the worn-out humor. Sure, there are lots of pretty colors for the youngsters, but that’s about it. It’s certainly not the bee’s knees. Rated PG for mild suggestive humor and a brief depiction of smoking.
I disagree. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I know it’s not the best cartoon Dreamworks has done, but it’s far from the worst (which would be the abysmal Shrek The Third). Ya gotta admit, the “Bee Jesus” gag was funny.
The only time I can really remember honestly being amused during the whole movie was when Chris Rock’s character was onscreen. And he’s in the movie for so short a time that it just makes the whole movie even that more disappointing. Also, you’ll need to keep in mind that I have a natural aversion to puns, and usually find them excruciatingly corny.
And now that I think about it, the only Dreamworks cartoons I can say I honestly like are the Aardman flicks (I don’t mind the SHREK films, but I’ve never had a desire to see any of them again).
Dreamworks cut ties with Aardman last year… too bad for them.
OVER THE HEDGE I think is the only truly great Dreamworks cartoon.
marc
The problem with this movie is the same problem as with Barnyard of last year. In that movie, the creators gave male cows udders. In this movie, the “pollen jocks” who fly out of the hive in search of pollen and nectar, are macho male fighter pilots. But, in real life, it is the female bee who does all that type of stuff, the males are merely drones who service the queen.
So it was amusing, yes, but it would have been more amusing if Seinfeld had merely revolted against the boring life of the male drone [the way some men want to keep women in real life] and go flying out with the girls in their cool leather jackets and caps.
By the way, anyone know if those black and yellow flying jackets will be marketed? Because I’d sure buy one!
Actually, I think the first two SHREK films are pretty great, but after that Dreamworks animation has yet to do it for me. That — combined with Jerry Seinfeld — was enough to keep me out of the theater on this one. Someone would have to come up with a really compelling reason to get me to change my mind on that.
Free mallomars?
I drive a harder bargain than that!
Buy him a monkey.
Gibbon me a break.
Simian value! Now we’re getting somewhere.
Where are we getting? I can’t Chimpanzee it from here.
Oh, great. Now, Mr. Bugg has gone ape monkeying around with simianized sayings.
Hanke is right, we should get back on topic. What would you give this movie on a scale of one to Orangutan?
I give it two capuchins or a Mickey Dolenz, which ever is worse.
You leave the Monkees out of this. Because if you keep it up, you can Tork right off.
I’m living in fear of the Golden Nesmith. I’ve no doubt Mr. Souther is Jonesing for one.
Why don’t we all just douroucoulis off and we can marmoset down and talk about this.
Now that was just silly.
I thought it was a howler (even if I have no idea what a douroucoulis is and suspect Mr. Souther of having recourse to a monkey book).
For gorilla?
this made my day..
Douroucoulises are also known as owl monkeys or night monkeys. And I didn’t get that from a book.
It was wikipedia.
And I’m personally waiting for this to degenerate in jokes about titis monkeys.
You leave the shape of Hanke’s man boobs out of this.
You mean like the one with highly dubious name of “Barbara Brown’s Titi?” Then again, what of “Hershkovitz’s Titi?” (Bonus points for passover jokes.)
I hope you realize that all this goes a long way toward proving my theory that any movie can be improved by the addition of a monkey. (Nam Vet will disagree, but monkeys would liven up GONE WITH THE WIND no end.) I mean just look what the addition of simian value has done for this thread! Without it, we might actually be talking about the movie.
“It’s just another bad post-Seinfeld career move”
Sure. That’s why it’s number one at the box office.
“They even manage to combine the two into one groan-inducing, unholy pun/pop-culture abomination by squeezing The Archies’ “Sugar Sugar” into the film.”
Right…. That’s why everybody likes “Sugar Sugar” and Jeff Barry is in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
I’m not arguing the likability of “Sugar Sugar” (though I’m sure I can find you more than a few people who don’t care for it), but rather the idea that the only reason the song’s in the movie in the first place is for that “honey honey” line.
Which, as far as I’m concerned, is a groan-inducing, unholy pun/pop-culture abomination.
The movie is more likely than not no. 1 at the box office for the simple reason that it’s the only kiddie movie going at the moment — and over a holiday weekend.
And you can put me down as someone who hates, loathes and despises “Sugar Sugar,” though it pales, I admit, next to “Yummy Yummy Yummy” for sheer awfulness. Nonetheless, Mr. Souther’s point is well-taken. The legacy of SHREK seems to be that a 60s or 70s pop song has to be shoe-horned into every kidflick that comes down the pike — presumably to appeal to the parents or grandparents since it’s unlikely the kids know these songs — whether the song has an relevance to the movie or not.
I think I found the discussion on this thread more entertaining then the movie itself… Better characters on here.
giving us the world’s first animated courtroom drama.
Oh, it’s far from that. Maybe the first all-bee animated courtroom drama.
What in God’s name prompted you to be reading this review in the first place?
What in God’s name prompted you to be reading this review in the first place?
I’ve been reading through the archive and seeing if there was anything I could contribute to ongoing discussions.