DVD: The Secret Life of Bees (12)

The Deep South Sisterhood movie is a genre that inexplicably rears its head every so often.

You can bet you'll find inter-racial friendships (at a time when society disapproves); plenty of laughter, singalongs and water fights; and most importantly, some hollow lessons on family and love. It's 1964, and after running away from her abusive father, Lily (Dakota Fanning) is taken in by some beekeeping sisters, (Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys and Sophie Okonedo), whose pink house and anti-marriage views are supposed to suggest their independence and freedom. I suspect you'll find the bee-keeping tips more interesting than any of the observations on life that this syrupy drama has to offer.