REEL CRITIC:

It is always difficult to make a film adaptation of a beloved novel. Fans of the book often have mental images of the characters, and casting can either draw or repel a potential audience. Despite these possible pitfalls, a movie based on Sue Monk Kidd’s 2002 bestselling novel “The Secret Life of Bees” is now in theaters.

With a screenplay written by director Gina Prince-Bythewood with the cooperation of the author, the film is set in 1964 and follows the adventures of 14-year old Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning) as she searches for the truth about her mother. The young girl’s mother died in a tragic shooting 10 years earlier, of which Lily has only blurred memories.

Lily lives with her distant and abusive father T. Ray (Paul Bettany) who rarely talks about her mother. The little that T. Ray offers makes it clear Lily’s mother, Deborah (Hilarie Burton), abandoned them both and was possibly deranged.

Traveling to a nearby town one day with her father’s black housekeeper Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson), they are confronted by racists. Beaten after supposedly insulting the racists, Rosaleen is arrested and confined to a hospital ward. Lily helps Rosaleen escape from the hospital, and the two set out for Tiburon, S.C. Lily has chosen this destination because the name of the town appeared on the back of a woodcarving of a black Madonna, belonging to her mother, which the young girl has hoarded over the years.

After arriving in the small town, Lily soon becomes aware the black Madonna appears on a label of a local honey producer. Traveling to the home where the honey is bottled, Lily and Rosaleen encounter the three Boatwright sisters: August (Queen Latifah), June (Alicia Keys) and May (Sophie Okonedo).

Besides the house, the sisters’ property has room for bee hives, bottling equipment and storage. Despite being in the Deep South during a period of racial unrest, the sisters have carved out an island of tranquillity. Over the objections of the somewhat haughty June, the two vagabonds are offered shelter and are soon helping out with the business and the home.

There is a reason Lily’s mother carried the image of the black Madonna, and Tiburon was not a random destination for Deborah or her daughter.

While providing safe harbor, the Boatwright sisters show Lily the true meaning of family. August dispenses homey wisdom with apparent ease, while the cultured June is more skeptical regarding Lily’s sudden appearance. May is simple-minded, sweet and easily driven to tears but is protected by her more resilient sisters.

The performances are universally good, especially Latifah and Fanning. Latifah continues to show she is a capable actress who can command a scene.

Hudson delivers an effective performance in another non-singing role. Keys seems less at ease than the other actresses but is well cast as the emotionally unavailable June. Okonedo as the inarticulate May must emote mainly through facial expressions and body language and is alternately amusing and heart-wrenching.

Fanning, playing her actual age in the film, seems to be bypassing the awkward stage that has derailed many a child star. Always a good actress, Fanning is a lovely young woman who is on the verge of playing adult roles. It will be interesting to see how her career progresses and whether she can make that final transition.

At its core, “The Secret Life of Bees” is a sweet story illustrating how love and family can overcome nearly every obstacle life has to offer. As such, it doesn’t break new ground but is an enjoyable family film for older children as its PG-13 rating implies. The production values are excellent, and the South of the 1960s is well portrayed in all aspects.

The overt racism shown in the film seems a product of a much earlier time than a mere four and a half decades would indicate. The characters watch President Lyndon Johnson sign civil rights legislation on television that gives them greater protection for the right to vote. This history is especially interesting in light of the possibility of an African American being elected president next month. While racism has certainly not been eradicated, “The Secret Life of Bees” depicts a sad chapter in our history we have hopefully left behind forever.

VAN NOVACK is the assistant vice president of institutional research and assessment at Cal State Long Beach and lives in Huntington Beach with his wife, Elizabeth.