'Bee Movie' doesn't keep up

Directed by Steve Hickner and Simon J. Smith

Rated PG

(Two stars)

By Bruce Bulloch

"Everybody knows that if you sting someone, you die. You don't go and waste it on a squirrel!"

And so Barry B. Benson (voiced by Jerry Seinfeld), honeybee and recent graduate from the beehive college, mourns the passing of a friend while highlighting what "Bee Movie" does best. Co-written by Jerry Seinfeld, "Bee Movie" is pockmarked with the dry, neurotic humor that made his TV show such a hit.

It also outlines, by stark contrast, where this animated film falls down. There isn't much of a movie to embed these jokes into.

In the cheerily Stalinist work ethic of the hive, Barry is the odd bee out. He's having an identity crisis about what to do with his life in a society that only does one thing: make honey. Barry mopes his way through a witty homage to "The Graduate" and eventually to an unfortunate run in with a tennis ball in Central Park.

Before Barry can find his way back to the hive he befriends a human, Vanessa Bloome (Renee Zellweger), and discovers to his horror that humans have created an industry collecting (stealing, to Barry's way of thinking), selling, and eating honey.

This is a form of colonialism that Barry will not stand for. And so, like any good American, he sues.

The court case, its unintended consequences, and Barry's friendship with Vanessa are what "Bee Movie" is all about. It's not a bad concept to frame a movie around but in today's red-hot animated film genre it's not nearly enough.

Take a look at what Pixar Studios has been putting out lately. "Ratatouille" isn't exactly Tolstoy (though in comparison to "Bee Movie" one could argue that it is) but it exploits every facet of its computer-generated world to create a rich narrative. The backgrounds are lush, almost painterly, characters are subtly constructed and humor flickers out of every corner of the frame.

"Bee Movie", in spite of flashes of sardonic wit and a hilarious turn by Chris Rock, feels like a Saturday morning TV experience.

Visually "Bee Movie" is just that, a second tier effort. The miniature city inside the hive is cute in a been-there-seen-that sort of way and there isn't much in the way of animation that captures the imagination - except perhaps Barry's vertigo inducing first flight away from the hive.

"Bee Movie" seems to have put most of its creative energy into its dialogue. It's a hit and miss affair; there are attempts at cultural satire that just fall flat (if this film accomplishes anything it may be to prove that Larry King, like Donald Trump, belongs to a class of celebrities that improve with lack of exposure). But, when the dialogue sparks...well, this is Jerry Seinfeld we're talking about.

Speaking of Jerry Seinfeld, it turns out he has a voice that works well in animation. He keeps Barry as a lively center to the film and a great vehicle for his best gags. "Bee Movie" features strong voice work throughout the cast. Renee Zellweger, Patrick Warburton (Puddy from "Seinfeld"), and John Goodman hold up their end of the bargain while Chris Rock is the film's scene-stealer as Mooseblood the mosquito.

At its best, "Bee Movie" reverberates with sweet echoes of Seinfeld's past glories. There is something irresistible about Seinfeld's gently twisted take on the world, even when emerging out of the mouths of insects. But the rest of "Bee Movie" doesn't quite keep up. Directors Steve Hickner and Simon J. Smith fail to use his comic genius as a template to build the rest of the movie around.

By the time the final credits roll, you've been given just enough to imagine what could have been and regret that Chris Rock's irrepressible mosquito didn't get more screen time.

Bruce Bulloch may be reached via wseditor@robinsonnews.com