“Honey” (Universal Pictures)
“Honey” is a honey of a movie full of sugar and spice and everything nice. Jessica Alba stars in the film and she is about as sweet and spicy as anyone can be. Plus she has some great moves in this story of a dancer/choreographer who is looking for her big break. The film doesn’t break any new ground but it is a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours and in this winter weather that is pretty enticing.
Honey (Alba) works as bartender and also teaches a hip-hop dance class to inner city youth in New York City. She is always telling her best friend Gina (Joy Bryant) that something good is going to happen to her, and Gina tells her that right back.
One day Honey does have a stroke of good luck. Record producer Michael Ellis (David Moscow) sees Honey on some film and hires her to dance in a music video. This is the start and Honey is ready for the big time. But she still remembers her roots and offers a helping hand to Benny (Lil Romeo), a kid who is straying into drugs and crime.
The movie has a lot of positive messages such as the need to give back to the community. It also has a plot that is basically Mickey and Judy put on a show. In this film it is Mekhi and Judy, I mean Honey, and they do a dance recital to get money to buy a building in the City.
Alba is beautiful in the film and shows talent as a dancer. Her acting is still only okay but her presence is winning. Mekhi Pfifer is a much more talented actor but in this film he is “the boyfriend” and basically just walks through his role. The same is true for Bryant who plays “the best friend.” There are no heavy requirements on anyone’s acting abilities.
The movie is rated PG-13 for profanity and mild violence.
There are some good dance numbers in “Honey” and you do feel good about life when you leave the theater. But its dramatic content is non-existent and its impact is here today and gone tomorrow. “Honey” is a sweet movie but a temporary one. It won’t last long at the box office with all the holiday films lined up to be released.
I scored “Honey” a sweetly sticky 5 out of 10.
