I for one am very glad that Jerry Seinfeld got married and had children. Otherwise he might never have made this delightful movie. Seinfeld has assembled a great cast of voices-even including the non-actors Oprah Winfrey and Larry King.
Most of the action takes place in a very pretty, idealized New York City. The star of the movie, of course, is Jerry Seinfeld. His character is Barry B. Benson, a bee, and a recent college graduate. He is dismayed at the thought of having to choose one job (making honey) and stay with it his whole life. He wants excitement, change, and adventure. He gets it all, and more, when he ventures outside the hive and meets Vanessa Bloome (voiced by Renee Zellweger), a florist who saves his life.
Barry breaks the bee community’s strict rules by speaking to Vanessa. Most of the movie’s action ensues from that encounter, some of it very clever. Barry becomes very upset when he enters a supermarket with Vanessa, and sees all the jars of honey for sale. From that follows a lawsuit-with John Goodman as the voice of the opposing attorney and Oprah Winfrey as the voice of the judge. It is all very well-written.
In addition to being cute and clever, the movie contains an environmental message that even a young child should be able to understand. The only drawback to the movie for me was that Jerry Seinfeld’s voice is so recognizable, it almost distracts from the character of Barry. But that’s being a little petty, I think.
La Bibliofille 