Stand-up comedians making a name for themselves in acting have done some truly impressive things over the years. Names like Jim Carrey and Eddie Murphy are just a few examples of comedians who wound up making the big bucks after turning to acting in favor of being out on stage.
Jerry Seinfeld was a successful comedian by the time he starred on Seinfeld, but once the series became the biggest show on television, the comedian became a legend who made milllions. After Seinfeld, the man himself remained busy, and to this day, Bee Movie remains one of his most puzzling projects.
Recently, Seinfeld issued an apology for the flick, and those out of the loop might have been confused about why. Allow us to take a deeper dive on Bee Movie and Seinfeld's recent apology.
Jerry Seinfeld Is A Comedy Legend
When looking at comedians who crossed over into successful television shows, perhaps none have been more successful than Jerry Seinfeld. He may not have been the first to make this transition successfully, but he is arguably the biggest.
To this day, Seinfeld remains one of the greatest television shows of all time, and it turned the comedian into a living legend. During its run on television, it was a powerhouse that was paying its stars a premium. Because he co-created the show, however, Seinfeld has made hundreds of millions of dollars through the years due to the show's success.
While his post-Seinfeld career has yet to match the heights he reached during the 90s, Jerry Seinfeld has still done some notable things. This includes Bee Movie, which has certainly gone down in infamy in recent years.
Bee Movie Was A Misfire
In 2007, Jerry Seinfeld made waves when he made a huge comeback for Bee Movie. Instead of being a live-action return, this marked a unique shift for Seinfeld, who was writing the script and voicing the lead character in the film. A partnership with DreamWorks was a solid choice for the comedian, but instead of entering the fold and becoming a huge hit, Bee Movie was a bit underwhelming upon release.
The film's voice cast featured performers like Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, and John Goodman, giving it a lot of star power from the jump.
At the box office, the movie did not make much of a profit for the studio, and critically, the film was not receiving the sort of praise that it was hoping for. These factors played a part in this movie being a disappointment for DreamWorks.
Now, instead of being an underwhelming film that people have forgotten about, Bee Movie is still talked about by many people, though not for positive reasons. The primary reason why it's still talked about is the very reason why Jerry Seinfeld recently apologized for it.
Why Seinfeld Apologized
So, why did Jerry Seinfeld apologize for Bee Movie? Well, thanks to the movie's bizarre romance aspect being memed in recent years, Seinfeld took it upon himself to apologize for this unnecessary romantic undertone.
"I apologize for what seems to be a certain uncomfortable subtle sexual aspect of The Bee Movie, which really was not intentional. But after it came out, I realized, ‘This is really not appropriate for children.’ Because the bee seems to have a thing for the girl. We don’t really want to pursue that as an idea in children’s entertainment," the comedian said.
Seinfeld isn't the only one that has talked about the romantic undertones in the film. Spike Feresten, who co-wrote the movie, has also talked about the bizarre nature of Barry and Vanessa's relationship in the movie.
"They would just be Barry and Vanessa, and we would write this dialogue for Barry and Vanessa, and read it over and have to remind ourselves, well, this is a tiny bee saying this, and the tiny bee is fighting with her boyfriend, so let’s dial it back to friend, and make it less romantic, because it’s getting weird,” Feresten said.
For those that have seen the movie, these comments from Feresten will make a lot of sense, as many of the interactions between Barry and Vanessa certainly toe-the-line.
The film's director, Steve Hickern, has said, "It was purely this friendship…maybe in Barry’s mind he thought… but it was never going to be that.”
Bee Movie might not have been the huge hit that DreamWorks was hoping for, but it is fascinating to see that people still continue to talk about this movie years after it disappointed at the box office.
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