(The Dreamworks-uary logo is shown, before showing clips from Bee Movie)
Doug (vo): Ever since I was stung as a child, I had this enormous hatred for bees. If I ever saw one around, I'd either try to beat the crap out of it or run away like a pussy. But when I saw Jerry Seinfeld's Bee Movie, it suddenly made me realize...I used to really like bees. Yeah, as a kid, any time there was bees on TV or in cartoons or something, I always thought they were cool.
[Several clips of bees in other media are shown]
Doug (vo): I used to love those old Donald Duck cartoons or the Honey Nut Cheerios commercials, I actually really liked bees.
[Back to Bee Movie]
Doug (vo): And seeing this film reminded me why. There is sort of this creativity and ingenuity that can be brought out of from what they are, and this movie takes full advantage of that, using their jobs, their homes, their abilities, and even their coronation to make some really memorable funny scenes. So what's the story?
Story
Doug (vo): Jerry Seinfeld is a bee who's just graduating from...bee school, I guess. You'll never guess what he got on his report card.
Barry's Father: And a perfect report card, all Bs.
Doug (vo): Yeah, there's a few other bad puns like that, too. But he has a problem. He doesn't like the idea that he's gonna be assigned to one job for the rest of his life. So he decides to go out and see the world before he does. All right, so this is gonna be like Antz, right, where he's trying to fight for free will and the individual and such? Actually, no. He comes across a woman, played by Renee Zellweger, and decides to reveal that he can actually talk, and they share a nice relationship together. Okay, so what? Everyone's gonna say you can't date a human and he's gonna be fighting against prejudices there? Actually, no. When he discovers that honey is being used by humans, he decides to sue the human race, and it turns into this gigantic trial, trying to show that bees are people, too. Well, not literally, but you know what I mean. All right, so what? He's gonna win the court case and everyone's gonna be happy? Actually, no! The bees, it turns out, gets too much honey, which means they don't have to work anymore, which means they don't pollinate anymore, which means all the plants of the world start to die. And now it's up to Seinfeld and Zellweger to try and get the world back to order.
Review
Doug (vo): You know what? Frigging kudos to this movie. I honestly had no idea where it was gonna go. And I love films like that, they are constantly making me guess. Though, the one downside is, everything I was talking about before, like Seinfeld being tied to his job? Never addressed again. The prejudice of a bee dating a human? Never addressed again. Hell, even the fact that she's married to Patrick Warburton and she's kind of having an affair with a bee? You guessed it. Never addressed again. So, I guess in that sense, it's somewhat lazy, in that it just sort of stops story arcs that were starting to get going, and then just goes to something else. But what pulls it through is the fact that it has a very likeable cast, very likeable animation, very likeable colors, very creative atmospheres and environments, and it's just straight-up funny. I mean, like I said before, some of the puns really do die and they're pretty lame, but a lot of these jokes really hit bulls-eyes, even ones I think wouldn't hit bulls-eyes.
[A scene showing Larry King's cameo as a bee version of himself is shown]
Doug (vo): Like, I saw this Bee Larry King and I remember thinking to myself, "Oh, my God. Really? Are they honestly doing this?" But then they turned it into something funny.
Barry: You know, they have a Larry King in the human world, too.
Bee Larry King: It's a common name. Next week on Bee Larry King...
Barry: No, no, no. I mean, he looks like you, and he has a show with suspenders and different colored dots behind him.
Bee Larry King: Next week on Bee Larry King...
Barry: And the old guy glasses, and there's quotes along the bottom from the guest you're watching, even though you just heard him.
[Several of the film's characters are shown]
Doug (vo): I'm usually not a fan of Seinfeld as an actor per se, nor really Renee Zellweger, but both of them are incredibly likeable in this. Seinfeld's a good-hearted wisecracker, and Zellweger's sort of a good-hearted eccentric. Even the side characters like Patrick Warburton, Chris Rock as this laid back mosquito, or Matthew Broderick as the best friend. Yes, even Broderick's tolerable in this.
[Several scenes showing how the bees work are shown]
Doug (vo): But on top of that, the ideas for this world they create are just so likeable and...I don't know. It just brought me back to being a kid again. I mean, listen to some of these ideas.
Barry: Wow, what does that do?
Tour Guide: Catches that little strand of honey that hangs after you pour it. Saves us millions.
Doug (vo): And on top of that, I think there's something about Dreamworks Animation that I don't know what they do, but they can really simulate motion well, particularly flying. The flying scenes in this movie really work, and it really feels like you're off the ground and you're traveling with these creatures. Even getting stuck to a car, you feel like you're really on that car, being pushed against the windshield.
Final thought
Doug (vo): I really didn't expect to like Bee Movie going into it, and, yeah, some parts don't work, I mean, some of the animation is a little odd, particularly on the humans. Some of the puns can get old and the story is sort of all over the place, but I still liked the characters, the ingenuity, the creativity, and the spot navy of it. I was pleasantly shocked by it, and was really happy to see it. It's one of the few movies I wish would be re-released on the big screen, maybe even in 3D. I'd love to see these moments on the big screen. I think I sort of missed out. So, I guess if you're looking for a movie that has a little bit more depth or story arc to it, you're probably not gonna find it here. But if you're looking for something light-hearted with some good laughs, some good voice acting, and a lot of creative designs and animation, then I say Bee Movie is definitely a flick to check out.
[A scene showing Barry and the Pollen Jocks flying around the world is shown]