In the inevitable Bee Movie sequel, Barry B. Benson (Jerry Seinfeld) meets Queen Latifah, an Africanized killer bee. Hilarity, heartwarming romance and disaster for the human race all ensue
Jerry Seinfeld has been called a lot of things throughout his career, but one thing he’s never been accused of is being a great actor. Everything that happened on Seinfeld was just an extension of the comedian’s personal sense of humour, which might be why so much of the conversation in the Seinfeld-scripted Bee Movie feels remarkably familiar. Like the classic sitcom, many of the laughs in the film are generated from relatively tame scenarios escalating into sensational shenanigans.
The plot is similar to other animated films of recent years — Barry B. Benson (Seinfeld) ventures out into the world of humans to try to find himself after learning that he’s supposed to spend the rest of his life at work in the hive. While out, he meets and falls in love with the human Vanessa (Renee Zellweger), and finds the cause he’s been looking for — humans have been stealing bees’ honey.
Despite the mechanical plot, Bee Movie feels like a relatively fresh take on what’s becoming a dangerously oversaturated genre. The movie slickly caters to children and keeps the adults involved at the same time by finding the delicate balance between becoming too campy for the older audience and too obscure for the young one. A hilarious supporting performance by Patrick Warburton as Ken, Vanessa’s boyfriend, is a particular highlight, as his contemptuous relationship with the main insect slowly drives him insane. Further guest appearances by Ray Liotta, Sting and Larry King (all playing themselves) keep things fun, even if kids won’t necessarily understand why Ray Liotta losing his mind in the middle of court proceedings is so damn funny.
Bee Movie is far from classic, but there are legitimate laughs to be had. Seinfeld’s patented observational humour runs throughout the film, especially in scenes that have bees acting like, well, bees. When trapped inside Vanessa’s apartment, Benson can’t recognize the fact that there’s a window preventing him from getting outside, and mistakes a light bulb for the sun. At another point, a group of bees mistakes a pile of tennis balls for flowers they’ve never seen before. It won’t redefine kid’s cartoons the way Seinfeld redefined the sitcom, but it’s miles ahead of most kids’ fare.
