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Bee Season (2005)
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Overview
User Rating:
Directors:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
17 November 2005 (Australia)
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Tagline:
Words may define us, but it's love that connects us. more
Plot:
A wife and mother begins a downward emotional spiral, as her husband avoids their collapsing marriage by immersing himself in his 11 year-old daughter's quest to become a spelling bee champion. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
1 nomination
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NewsDesk:
(13 articles)
Film: Review:Uncertainty
(From The AV Club. 12 November 2009, 12:08 PM, PST)
[TV] Fraggle Rock: A Merry Fraggle Holiday
(From JustPressPlay. 10 November 2009, 12:28 PM, PST)
(From The AV Club. 12 November 2009, 12:08 PM, PST)
[TV] Fraggle Rock: A Merry Fraggle Holiday
(From JustPressPlay. 10 November 2009, 12:28 PM, PST)
User Comments:
E-l-i-z-a
more (67 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Richard Gere | ... | Saul |
 | Juliette Binoche | ... | Miriam |
 | Flora Cross | ... | Eliza |
 | Max Minghella | ... | Aaron |
 | Kate Bosworth | ... | Chali |
 | Corey Fischer | ... | National Spelling Bee Pronouncer |
 | Sam Zuckerman | ... | National Spelling Bee Judge |
| Joan Mankin | ... | Ms. Bergermeyer |
| Piers Mackenzie | ... | Dr. Morris |
| Lorri Holt | ... | Ms. Rai |
| Brian Leonard | ... | Mr. Julien |
| Jamal Thornes | ... | Wiseacre Boy's Mate |
 | Kathy McGraw | ... | Regional Bee Pronouncer |
| John Evans | ... | Regional Bee Judge |
 | Alisha Mullally | ... | Young Miriam |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, a scene of sensuality and brief strong language.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
104 min
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Netherlands:AL |
Mexico:B |
Singapore:NC-16 |
Brazil:12 |
Argentina:13 |
France:U |
Sweden:Btl |
Australia:M |
Finland:K-7 |
USA:PG-13 (certificate #40910) |
Canada:14A (Ontario) |
Iceland:LH (video rating) |
South Korea:12 |
UK:12A
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Dakota Fanning was originally going to play Eliza, but directors thought that Flora Cross looked like Juliette Binoche and selected Cross instead.
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Goofs:
Continuity: The license plates on the family Volvo are different on the front and back. The front license plate starts with a "4", the rear license plate starts with a "5".
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Quotes:
Saul:
There are people who believe that letters are an expression of a very special primal energy and when they combine to make words they hold all the secrets of the universe...
Saul: Remember the Vikings?
Saul: [Takes a green apple] Ok, Vikings called this "aepli".
Saul: Now when they took it across the sea in their ships it became "apfel".
Saul: Crossed another border, it became "appel".
Saul: By the time it got to us it was "apple".
Saul: Its spelling contains all of that.
Saul: It holds its history inside it.
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Saul: Remember the Vikings?
Saul: [Takes a green apple] Ok, Vikings called this "aepli".
Saul: Now when they took it across the sea in their ships it became "apfel".
Saul: Crossed another border, it became "appel".
Saul: By the time it got to us it was "apple".
Saul: Its spelling contains all of that.
Saul: It holds its history inside it.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee: (2005-11-14)" (2005)
more
Soundtrack:
How Do You Love
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (67 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Bee Season (2005)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| This movie is 'deep'? HUH? | thestorage |
| The ending | KapokDan |
| compared to book? | taylordustin |
| Juliette's Accent? | pyewacket |
| Brother/Sister Relationship | dancinjinn |
| compared to book? | taylordustin |
Recommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
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Related Links
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| News articles | IMDb Drama section | IMDb USA section |
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If there is a novel that doesn't lend itself for cinematic adaptation, "Bee Season", written by Myla Goldberg, would seem to be the one. It doesn't help that the screen play, as written by the talented Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal, doesn't help to clarify for the casual viewer what is going on with the Naumanns of Oakland. In fact, the problem in the novel, as well as with the movie is Miriam, the distant mother who has fled reality and lives in a world of her own.
"Bee Season" co-directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel feels empty because the somber treatment they have given to the movie. The dark cinematography of Giles Nuttgens doesn't help either, but the musical scores of Peter Nasher works well, as a whole.
One enters the Naumann world through the sensitive Eliza, a girl much older and wiser than her 11 years indicate. It is Eliza who senses all that is wrong with her family, as it appears they are falling apart in front of her, and as a little girl, she simply can't do anything at all to bring everyone together. As a way to escape the unhappy home, Eliza immerses herself in the spelling bee contests in which she excels. Not until then, does she get the attention of her father, who supports her newly found talent.
Saul, the religious studies professor, doesn't even come aware about what's wrong with his marriage until it's too late. In fact, he is a man appears to be unable to communicate with the illusive Miriam, a woman who is deeply disturbed by what happened in her own life with the tragedy of her parents death. Saul and Miriam's marriage is over, but they don't do anything to correct the situation. Miriam's problems come to a head when she is taken away and makes Saul confront the many issues that he probably never dealt with before.
Aaron, the older son, is rebelling against his own religion. He needs to experiment with other beliefs because he is at that stage of his life in which he is trying to find out who he is. That is why when he meets Chali, the young Hare Krishna follower, he decides to follow her in his quest for finding a guidance for his life.
The ensemble playing is dominated by the youngest cast member, Flora Cross, who makes a luminous Eliza. Her expressive eyes and her intelligence tells everything about her. Juliette Binoche's Miriam is a puzzle. Richard Gere does what he can with Saul and Max Minghella has some good moments as Aaron. Kate Bosworth is seen briefly as Chali.
"Bee Season" is a difficult film to sit through because it is a dark look into a family falling apart without a safety net. Also, the way the film has been promoted gives a false impression about its content.