Like all good Americans, I have harbored homicidal thoughts about Jerry Seinfeld over the past few weeks as he constantly reminded us that his film “Bee Movie” was coming to theaters.
The ad campaign turned into one giant “Seinfeld” skit. “Did ya hear about “Bee Movie?” I hear there’s a movie about bees coming out. Jerry Seinfeld’s doing a movie about bees.” I wanted to squash him like a bug.
Then my 7-year-old daughter saw the trailer. And I opened my big mouth.
“Would you like to see that?”
“Uh huh.”
That’s how I ended up in line at the movie theater (which strangely doesn’t start selling tickets for a 1:05 p.m. movie until 10 of 1 which made for a long line) to see the movie I had grown to loathe over the past two weeks. And you know what?
I liked it. I really did. Not just like with some animated movies where they throw in two or three jokes that sail right over the kids’ heads, but placate the parents. The writers did a masterful job of keeping the sly digs at the world we live in coming for the entire movie while also adding enough goofy stuff to keep the kids laughing.
I don’t think “Bee Movie” will challenge for any of the major awards in The Brians and since this is the only animated movie I have seen all year, that special category won’t exist, but it definitely could sneak in for a minor award just because I went in with such low expectations.
But don’t tell Jerry cause I don’t want him to think his commercials worked.
It definitely is worth it in my book. The “adult” jokes were more clever pop culture references than between the lines sexual jokes that some movies have.
I’m glad to have read your post. I thought it was an adult-oriented animation.
I guess I might take my 4 year-old after all.
-oScar