The Secret Life of Bees

Gina Prince-Bythewood's screen incarnation of Sue Monk Kidd's novel has all the hallmarks of a well-meaning adaptation of a warmhearted tearjerker. Dakota Fanning is a lonely, emotionally hungry little white girl who flies off from her angry worker-bee father (Paul Bettany) and finds a new hive with Queen Bee Latifah and her sisters (in blood and in spirit). It's a tale of empowerment in the segregationist Deep South of the '60s with a honey-dipped happy ending saved by the formidable cast, which includes Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys and Sophie Okonedo. Features both the original theatrical cut and an extended director's cut, along with deleted scenes, two commentary tracks and a collection of featurettes.