By now we all know what to expect from products rolled off the Dreamworks animation line. M’eh. When Shrek The Third trundled onto our screens earlier this year, there were signs of life amidst the snarky pop references, but only just. Bee Movie, the studio’s ninth foray into computer-generated animation, might easily have fallen into the same rut. Indeed, early in the film we hear damning evidence of the kind of yuk-yuk humour that relies on packing in as many references to honey and winged beasts as is linguistically possible. “You got the perfect report card – all B’s”, cries the hero’s father ecstatically. Oh dear. Has anyone got a tuba so we can signal such comedy gold with a wah-wah-wah noise?
Bee Movie, however, has a distinct advantage over would-be competitors. Two words, people – Jerry Seinfeld. As the screenwriter and neurotic voice of the movie’s hero, Barry B. Benson, Mr. Seinfeld gets to bee (sorry) himself. Reworking the supposed injustices and inconveniences of life in the hive into classically Jewish comedy schtick, this is Seinfeld to the power of ten, none more Seinfeld, etc. As the movie zig zags into view, Barry, already disgruntled by the prospect of doing the same damned job for the rest of his days, is outraged to learn that humans think precious little of swiping honey from his busy brethren. Encouraged by a cross-species quasi-romance with Renee Zellweger’s florist, he does what any right thinking American would do in the same position – he drags everyone through the courts.
In the litigious aftermath, Sting is declared offensive to bees and Ray Liotta (who makes his own brand of honey) is publicly denounced. The best jokes, however, are vintage Seinfeld quips – “When I’m through with the humans, people won’t be able to say ‘Honey, I’m home’ without paying a royalty,” shouts Barry in a tone that keeps you wondering when George and Kramer are going to pop up.
More fun than Ratatouille and the best Dreamworks cartoon to date, Bee Movie is just as buzzy as it wants to be.