Queen Bees Movie Review

We never know when life will throw a curve ball our way. How we respond has the power to change our fate.

In the 2021 film, Queen Bees, a house fire has rendered Helen (Ellen Burstyn) homeless. While waiting for renovations to be completed, Helen agrees to temporarily move into an independent senior living facility. After settling in, she meets what can only be described as their answer to Mean Girls.

Janet (Jane Curtin), Sally (Loretta Divine), and Margot (Ann-Margret) rule the social scene with an iron fist. Helen also meets Jimmy (James Caan), a widower who has a thing for her. While she tries to isolate herself and count down the days until she returns home, Helen discovers new relationships that she never saw coming.

I loved this movie. It has the right balance of romance, social satire, and humor. It proved that some things never change, regardless of how old we get. 

The chemistry between Caan and Burstyn is absolutely perfect. I was rooting for them from the beginning, despite not knowing the arc of this relationship. My favorite part was the images of real weddings of couples of a certain age as the credits rolled. Love is love is love, regardless of the number of candles on a birthday cake.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

Queen Bees is available for streaming on Netflix.

Barbie Should Have Been Nominated for Best Actress and Best Director

When it comes to award season and the nominees/winners, the response to the names listed can be subjective. But it can also represent a lack of awareness of artists who are overlooked because of their gender or skin color.

Last week, the Oscar nominations were announced. While Barbie received eight nods, neither director/co-screenwriter Greta Gerwig nor lead actress Margot Robbie were among those listed. Robbie was nominated as a producer, but it lacks the punch of being recognized for the acting and directing.

Robbie’s leading man, Ryan Gosling, put it perfectly.

This statement from Ryan Gosling is 😭😭😭 I love pic.twitter.com/iVtFTbwYub

— Christie Whelan (@Christie_Whelan) January 24, 2024

I get it. It’s a contest. By nature, there are winners and losers.

But I can’t help but feel like both Gerwig and Robbie were passed over because of Barbie‘s message. Some Hollywood bigwigs couldn’t stand the hard truths that were coming their way.

While the consolation prize is the staggering and (well-deserved) box office numbers, the sting of being overlooked cannot be ignored.