Mark Reviews Movies: QUEEN BEES

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Review by Mark Dujsik | June 11, 2021

Throughout this movie, there are hints of the broad comedy that Queen Bees could have been. It is ultimately not that, thankfully, although Donald Martin's screenplay is also never quite certain what story it wants to tell—and with what tone it wants to tell it.

There's a sad tale here, about people left behind by the world, loved ones, their own health, and their very sense of self. It's primarily set in a retirement home, so such matters aren't just expected. They're necessary, if only for some sense of honesty.

There are times that Martin and director Michael Lembeck are honest about these characters, their current situation, and a sense of inevitability about their shared—well, everyone's shared—future. That's one mode of this story, and it is, thanks to some decent performances, occasionally effective.

The performances here really do drive this movie, since Martin is so busy introducing, developing, and then forgetting to pay off multiple threads about the major characters and side players alike. One running gag, for example, has a Lothario of an elderly resident making the rounds with every woman in the home who wants such attention from him. The big revelation and key development of this storyline, though, is no joke, and there's a surprisingly tender moment in which he finally shares his secret vulnerability with one of our central characters. It's a good moment, eventually undermined by the fact that absolutely nothing comes of that incident.

For some context about the strength of the cast here, the aged gigolo is played by Christopher Lloyd. The woman who genuinely does feel affection for him, wanting something deeper from their relationship than some intermittent sexual encounters, is played by Ann-Margaret. Loretta Devine and Jane Curtin round out the eponymous group, an exclusive, high school-like clique ("You graduate from high school," Curtin's character says to define the difference, but, "Here, you die.") that nobody in the home likes—but everyone fears. There's a wealth of talent in these roles of varying degrees of limitedness, and like Lloyd, each of them at least gets one scene that allows them to show off what this story could have been, if Martin had been a bit braver and less dedicated to giving us something light and airy.

Ellen Burstyn, meanwhile, plays Helen, a widow of three years who arrives at the retirement home after accidentally setting her kitchen on fire. She has no plans of staying for the long and final haul, though—only until the house has been repaired. Her estranged daughter Laura (Elizabeth Mitchell), a real estate agent, has arranged the month-long stay, which grows longer as more problems are found with the house, and Ellen's adoring and adored grandson Peter (Matthew Barnes) just wants to make sure grandma is having a good time.

Helen is stubborn about that part, though. She avoids meeting people or joining activities, until Devine's Sally invites Helen to partner with her for the bridge club. Curtin's Janet, who runs the club and is the leader of the "Queen Bees" (not the insect, but the letter, which stands for something impolite), disapproves, and an incident involving another fire almost gets Helen kicked out the residence (Just because the movie doesn't focus on broad comedy doesn't mean there isn't plenty of it here). Laura argues against it, and soon enough, Helen is making friends, having fun, and wondering if she should start a romantic relationship with charming newcomer Dan (James Caan).

With the clunky setup and most of the bigger conflicts out of the way, the movie does eventually allow itself to spend time with these characters, develop these relationships, and let these matters breathe. The burgeoning affection between Helen and Dan is sweet and honest, as she explains how the thought of love after her husband never crossed her mind, because Helen assumed there'd never be a time after him for her. Dan is in a similar situation, and there's little denying that watching Burstyn and Caan laugh and commiserate together is charming.

Ann-Margaret's Margot has that tender scene with Lloyd's Arthur. Sally learns that the cancer that was in remission has returned, and as optimistic as everyone may be about the prognosis, she just needs some time to express the fear that everyone expects her to keep hidden. Janet's reputation doesn't just precede her, and it's not just a reputation. Her cloudy demeanor and sometimes-cruel way of speaking her mind finally catches up to her, and it's up to Helen and the other Bees to catch her when she has that emotional fall.

There are fine moments here, and there are also a lot of sappy, jokey, manipulative, and insincere ones. Nothing comes of the characters and stories that possess some truth to them, and everything, unfortunately, comes of the generically feel-good spirit Lembeck tries to invoke, as well as the subplots that feel as if they belong in a broader comedy (The truth behind Dan's presence in the residence is especially cheap and adds much unnecessary conflict to the third act). When it focuses on these characters, Queen Bees gets a few things right, but there's simply too much going on for that focus to stick.

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