DVD Review: Bee Movie (Jerry's Two-Disc Special Edition)

DVD Reviews

By Jeff Swindoll Mar 18, 2008, 15:25 GMT

Jerry Seinfeld ventures into the hive with this animated feature from Dreamworks and finds that it really is about something as these busy bees are a vital part of our world and we can’t get along without the little buzzers.

Barry B. Benson (Jerry Seinfeld) and his cousin bee Adam Flayman (Matthew Broderick) have just graduated and are about to find out what sort of jobs they’ll be assigned to in the hive. Adam is happy to join the dedicated bees in producing honey, but Barry longs for something more. He and Adam masquerade as “pollen jockeys” (the elite flyers that go outside the hive to collect pollen) and the jocks decide to take Barry on one of their outings. He gets away from the group and gets caught in the rain. Since bees can’t fly in the rain he seeks shelter at the flower window box of Vanessa’s (Renee Zellweger) apartment. Once inside her boyfriend Ken (Patrick Warburton) tries to kill him since he’s allergic to bees but the kind Vanessa stops him from squishing the little guy. Barry decides to break the first rule of bee-dom and speaks to Vanessa to thank her for saving his life. At first Vanessa thinks that she’s gone bonkers but eventually she and Barry become friends. As she shows Barry around the human world she takes him to the local market and Barry wonders where all the honey comes from. He finds out about bee farms and decides to sue the human race for enslaving his kind. This will upset the balance of nature in both the human and bee communities. Bee Movie is the first project from Jerry Seinfeld following the final episode of his popular television show. It seems that Jerry had a bit more luck than his fellow alums since most of their projects got the stinger and not the honey. Seinfeld imbibes Bee Movie with his brand of humor and creates a product that both the adults and kids can enjoy. Since it’s him he can boast some famous pals in cameo roles, like Sting, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Richards, Larry King, John Goodman, and Ray Liotta sporting his own brand of honey and villainy. Chris Rock appears to have had a large part judging from one of the humorous, live action trailers that preceded the film, but it really is just a cameo. The film seems to stumble to me when it comes to the whole trial aspect, but the rest of the film strikes the right comedic tone. It is a bit odd to have this strange love triangle with a bee, but it’s still a funny movie.

Bee Movie is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Disc one boasts a commentary by Seinfeld, co-writer Barry Marder, directors Simon J. Smith and Steven Hickner, producer Christina Steinberg, and editor Nick Fletcher. Next are 5 minutes of lost scenes in incomplete form, with introductions by Seinfeld. There are also 14 minutes of alternate endings with Seinfeld introductions. Next are 16 Bee Movie TV Juniors, which are some very funny commercials that ran on television during a special Bee Movie themed night. The two live action trailers (4 minutes) follow. “Jerry’s Flight Over Cannes” is a 3-minute look at a stunt pulled at the film festival to promote the film. The 14-minute “Inside the Hive” is both a look at the cast as well as the making of the film. Disc two is divided into “special features” and “Dreamworks kids.” Special features starts off with the 7-minute “Tech of Bee Movie” which examines the technology used to animate the feature. Next is “Meet Barry B. Benson” which is a Q&A with the bee. This section closes out with the 2 minute “We Got the Bee” music video. The Dreamworks kids section starts off with the 7-minute “Buzz about Bees” which is an informational program about the insects. The “Ow! Meter” is about how much it hurts a bee to get swatted, a human to get stung, and gives you tips about how to avoid being stung. “That’s Un-Bee-Lievable” has a series of trivia questions. The “Be a Bee,” allows you to pick the job that you’d do in the hive. “Pollination Practice” is a game that allows you to practice your aim with the pollination gun. There are also games, printables, and more when you put disc two into your DVD-ROM drive. Bee Movie is a fun family film from the mind that brought us “yada, yada, yada.” It has some sweet as honey moments, but also a few drones. Whatever the case, it will entertain the entire family. Bee Movie (Jerry's Two-Disc Special Edition) is now available at Amazon. It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a May 19th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.