Almost 15 years later, the Internet is still buzzing about Bee Movie. For all this time, people have been astounded by this film and its seemingly romantic undertone. And finally, its star is addressing this.
In an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jerry Seinfeld finally touched on the infamously memed film. In his opinion, the romantic and sexual undertones of the film, meaning the relationship between his character who is a bee, and the human female lead, was unintentional. He also says that he did notice this in watching the movie back, which means he's on the same page as the rest of the world.
Bee Movie has been the subject of Internet memes and jokes since its existence. Besides the weird romantic undertones, several lines of the film have become so popular they're practically catchphrases at this point. It also for whatever reason became a popular thing to have the entire script of the film printed on things like mugs and shirts. The actual plot of the film though is quite a bit more elaborate and meaningful than these memes would lead people to believe.
In Bee Movie, Seinfeld voices a bee named Barry B. Benson. He meets and befriends a florist named Vanessa, voiced by Renee Zellweger, and learns that humans farm bees for honey. After learning this he is extremely angered and feels that humans are exploiting bees, so he sues the human race in hopes of stopping honey consumption. Throughout this, his relationship with Vanessa does blossom and while it may be intended to be friendship, there are points it could read as romantic. For example, she does leave her boyfriend because he attacks Barry.
The seemingly romantic elements of the film have long been criticized and are often joked about online. This isn't only because a romance between a woman and a bee would be highly inappropriate and it's weird to include that in a children's film, though that element is certainly part of it. It's also because including those elements takes away from the film's message, which is an important one. The film was supposed to be about conservation, the importance of bees and other small animals, and treating the world with respect.
Seinfeld has been largely silent on all of this controversy and all the Bee Movie memes on the Internet, so seeing him address it should bring a smile to those familiar with the jokes. Based on how the crowd reacted at just the mention of the film, the conversation surrounding Bee Movie isn't likely to stop any time soon.
Source: The Tonight Show|YouTube