The Buzz about Jerry Seinfeld

by Francine Brokaw

Jerry Seinfeld's newest project is the funny animated film, "Bee Movie," which is an appealing movie for the entire family. "I didn't think of it as a family movie," he said about starting the project. "To me it was just a funny movie and an interesting format to work in."

Why of all things did he choose to do a movie about bees? His answer was simple. "Because bees are the funniest. Because of the way they live and what they do and the things that they're involved with and that they have a real social society like human beings do." Seinfeld researched the subject and can tell you almost anything you want to know about bees. "Bees are actually the only other animals on earth besides humans that actually have a language. When they come back from a patch of flowers, they will give the other bees in the hive directions to get to those flowers and they act out this little dance which is literally a language." And you thought all they did was fly, pollinate, and sting!

In the film, the bees file a lawsuit against humans for selling their honey. "I figured that bees don't know that we're taking their honey, and what if they found out. What would they do?" says Seinfeld. "I see bees as very civilized and very elevated socially and I thought they would want to try and do this in the most civilized way. And they wouldn't want to be violent. They wouldn't want to organize an attack. They'd say let's try and do this like grown-ups. Let's settle our differences like mature adults. And that's why they go to the court system."

This film is geared for families but there might be concerns that kids just won't get it. Seinfeld disagrees. "One thing we found in showing the movie to grown-ups and children is that the children seem to get more into it and the grown-ups are worried that the kids won't get it because it's smart. And the kids are getting it and the parents don't understand that their kids are smarter than they think." And the one thing this father of three hopes people will take away from the film is the fact that we are all in this together. "That everything in nature is related is one lesson that comes out of the movie," he comments.

After this film, Seinfeld says he wants to take time off to spend with his family. "My favorite family [activity] is putting all the kids on the bed and then trying to roll them all up in a blanket. And then piling them all up on top of one another. And I like giving them horsy rides." It's evident when talking with him, Jerry Seinfeld is happiest in his role as a father.