|
|
"Family Drama gets a 'Bee' Minus" "Bee Season"
|
 |
| Spellbound! Flora Cross is mentored by Richard Gere in "Bee Season" |
Based on the 2000 bestseller by Myla Goldberg, “Bee Season” is an unusual new family drama with a unique, imaginative perspective. In it, newcomer Flora Cross plays Eliza Naumann, an introverted 11-year-old girl from Oakland who's on the fast track to winning the National Spelling Bee.
Every time she steps up to the microphone, she promptly lowers it to suit her petite frame. But then something magical happens. Eliza closes her eyes, takes a few deep breaths and slowly spells out each word with focused articulation, as if she were channeling a higher power to help her see the light.
As it turns out, Eliza isn't the only member of her dysfunctional family who turns to faith in times of crisis. Her controlling father, Saul (Richard Gere), is an intense religious studies professor who’s particularly passionate about Kabbalah. Her Catholic-born mother Miriam (Juliette Binoche), who converted to Judaism before she married Saul, is more conflicted about her beliefs, which causes her to become more psychologically unstable with each passing day. Then there's her older brother Aaron (Max Minghella), who turns to the study of Hindu mysticism to fill the void left by his father's neglect.
All that may sound a bit deep for a story that, on the surface, is supposed to be about a girl with a knack for spelling big words, but that's what makes “Bee Season” so bold and challenging. It's also what makes the film so jumbled and uneven. And that's too bad, because despite lofty ambitions and terrific acting, “Bee Season” lacks focus and becomes increasingly contrived, as if it loses faith in itself before coming to a weak conclusion that doesn't seal the deal.
When Eliza exhibits a special talent for words, it doesn't take long for her domineering father to take notice. As she moves up the ladder at various local spelling bees, Saul shifts his attention away from his emotionally unhinged wife and his conflicted son to focus on her preparation for the national finals. Saul means well, but he pushes Eliza so hard that he can't see the writing on the wall, and it isn't until she spells it out for him that he can finally start to work on bringing his family back together.
Since Richard Gere is so well known for being a peace-loving Buddhist, it's easy to see why he gives such a passionate, spiritually intense performance. But Juliette Binoche doesn’t fare as well with a role that’s more underdeveloped, while Max Minghella’s involvement with Hinduism feels contrived from the start. At least young Flora Cross makes quite an impression in her feature film debut, and her physical resemblance to Binoche is so uncanny that it actually lends more credibility to their on-screen relationship as mother and daughter.
If only the rest of the film felt as genuine. Directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel certainly try to infuse the film with a healthy dose of whimsical enchantment, but it all gets kind of strange before unhinging towards the end. It just left me wondering, is “Bee Season” about the importance of family? Or is it about the healing power of faith? Or is it about something else? I’m still not sure. To that extent, I guess you could say that I’m at a loss for words.
|
© Scott Mantz - Scott's Movie Reviews
Unauthorized duplication of graphics or material appearing in this site is prohibited.