Not-so-killer buzz

Since I was never a big fan of the Seinfeld thing, I went into this not expecting much and got just that. Here writer/voice Jerry Seinfeld dilutes his comedy about nothing in order to spoon-feed it to younger audiences. In essence, animated pabulum (al-bee-it with an emphasis on excruciating insect-related puns).

Buzzing about a Central Park hive, worker bee Barry B. Bensen (Seinfeld) isn’t all that enraptured with the concept of spending his entire short life fulfilling a solitary obligation, and in a mad dash sets out to explore the wilds of New York City. Breaking the cultural taboo that bees are absolutely not allowed to talk to humans, he makes friends with one (Renée Zellweger) and finds to his horror that the labors of his culture are cultivated and sold for mass consumption. What’s a bee to do? Why, fulfill his special purpose: Do like the humans do and file a lawsuit.

Ahem.

Taking a kids’ film into the courtroom doesn’t sound all that promising, and it doesn’t play out much better, although it’s not as tedious as one would expect. If you’re a fan of the Seinfeld style of humor, then there’s plenty of same on display here to keep you moderately entertained as you chaperone the young’ns. As expected, the Dreamworks approach to animation is competent, but isn’t all that dazzling.

As it is, Bee Movie is passable enough family fare, but after a long run of animated bug movies, here Seinfeld and company bring nothing new to the table.