Burt's Buzz

I was raised on the coast of Downeast Maine. I'm sure by Burt's standard I'm a yuppie, but I would like to offer my perspective on him and the film as someone with the same background.

First if you don't like Burt's personality, the quintessential Maine man, that's fine but also understand that communicating and building trust looks different for people in rural areas. When I first left home I soon realized urban people try very hard to present publicly as friendly and appeasing all the time. In Maine it is okay to not be sociable, to feel outwardly uncomfortable, and to not want to share things about yourself. Generally in Maine we value sincerity over friendliness. Even now I am naturally suspicious when a person is super cheerful and animated when meeting me for the first time. It's not that we're not friendly, it's just that "we are who we are".

On that note I would say everyone who interacts with him in the movie have some sort of ulterior motive. That is probably why they perceive him as cold, and in my opinion he has every reason to not trust them. When his Taiwanese assistant laments about trying to get him to open his heart to hear, I think: "What care have you shown this person outside of your job. Why should he open up to you when your relationship to him is obligational?" Honestly you get the impression that he's wise to be cynical, as people like Roxanne will not hesitate to take advantage of his friendship.

I think this is a good film for people who are interested in the stark contrast of personality between people raised in rural areas and cities. I'd also recommend it to introverts, and people who are interested in alternative, low-key ways of being. I find the over-excited Taiwanese fans fawning over this man they've never seen to be kind of disturbing and overwhelming, and the movie does a good job of contrasting this against his daily life outside his cabin.

If you're left wanting for more information on the history of the company itself or the drama behind his personal relationships, I think you're missing the point. This movie gives us a view of someone who never asked to be thrust into the public eye and into a consumerist culture. Burt has to do battle every day reckoning with the brand that has no association with him whatsoever, but still relies on for income. He has a rare personality for a semi-public figure and I have a lot of empathy for him.

I give this movie 8 stars and not 10 because I do not appreciate the pitiful spin they try to put on his life after leaving the company. Burt seems like he is doing fine? (I realize he has since passed away) Otherwise I think it's a solid portrait of a Maine man juxtaposed against the insanity of everywhere else.

Greetings again from the darkness. I've said it many times - my expectations for documentaries are quite high. Either pick a side (ala Michael Moore) or tell the whole story. Anything less is a let down. That holds true even if your subject is a colorful curmudgeon with what might be an interesting back story.

You are probably familiar with the Burt's Bees brand of personal care items. And you have probably noticed the bearded guy logo. Yes, that's the real Burt and director Jody Shapiro introduces us. Admittedly, I got caught up in the Burt show ... watching him bounce between his life of seclusion and minimalism in Maine and the near-rock star status he enjoys on a PR tour of Taiwan. It wasn't until afterwards that the holes and unanswered questions started piling up.

The Burt Shavitz story traces his initial drop out from a promising photojournalism career in New York to selling jugs of honey from his truck on the side of the road. A chance meeting and initial attraction to single mom Roxanne Quimby brought ambition to Burt's quiet life and the next thing he knew, he was spending his days behind a desk helping run a company.

Burt and Roxanne had a massive fallout after the company relocated to North Carolina and the movie only hints at the real reason. It also leaves open-ended the question of whether Roxanne shrewdly maneuvered the company away from Burt, and then later sold it for almost $1 billion to the Clorox company.

It's pretty obvious Roxanne refused to participate and instead sent her son to answer questions. Because of this, the guts of the story are never determined. Instead, we follow Burt around as he fulfills his requirements to the company that he no longer owns. We don't get any details on his arrangement, who pays for his personal assistant, or what Burt thinks about the business side. Instead he ruminates about the importance of land, and how he lives a life without hot water or hardly any other of life's modern conveniences. Well, except for when he is staying in 4 star hotels while touring for the company. These contradictions are fascinating, but of course, go unexplored.

Burt doesn't appear to be a very complex man, and it's easy to accept his words at face value. He is almost 80 years old and seems to be quite satisfied hanging out with his dog ... but he also gets a kick out of the recognition and applause from his promotional tours. With all of the unanswered questions, this would have been better served as an hour long "Biography".

Yes. Indeed. There are some bio-documentaries about certain people that leave me totally wondering why they were ever made in the first place. And, yes - "Burt's Buzz" was definitely one of them.

Back in the 1980s - Burt Shavitz was co-founder (along with business partner, Roxanne Quimby) of Burt's Bee products. (And, yes, that was Burt's grizzled image you saw on these products' packaging)

Personally speaking - I thought that Burt Shavitz (interviewed here) had a truly terrible personality.

Anyway - IMO - Instead of introducing Burt (an unlikable eccentric) to the public and actually expecting us to like him - He really should have been left as the obscure enigma that he was (tending to his bees).

I had high hopes, being that I'm a Mainer (who can relate to the quirky Mainer personality types) and a long-time user of Burt's Bees products. My aesthetic is similar—I like graphic design that is simple, yet slightly old-fashioned looking; I like products that are all-natural. But this documentary left me with more questions than I came in with (not knowing anything about the history of the company, I wanted to learn why they felt Burt warranted his own documentary). First, I think it suffered from the narrative thread—I wish it was told more linearly (start with early days of the company rather than hitting the audience with Burt's Taiwanese groupies in the first 2 minutes). Burt is quirky, but this doc doesn't give you enough—there is no coda, there is no real mention of the current company's owners (Clorox), there is no mention of why Roxanne declined to participate (or if they even asked her to), Burt's manservant (or "majordomo" as he is credited) who is he, who pays him and why is he there? There are themes I wish they explored deeper: how does Burt feel about his image being on all these products, products that no longer follow his original vision. What does the son really feel about the situation (he seems to be doing the most diplomatic of answers to all his questions). here are some heart-warming moments: Burt and his dog singing together over Skype, Burt telling Taiwanese investors "we need to separate our needs from our wants", but overall this doc needs more.

I have to admit that this doc was a pleasing experience - while at the same time acknowledging this documentary isn't for everyone.

I had no idea there was a real "Burt" behind Burt's bees, much less that he was so fascinating and strange. A true eccentric.

I also had no idea that there was a romance, intrigue, and drama behind the story. Or that Burt had a fan base.

This is a story about an odd man, and the odd things that happened to him, and how this became a huge brand. If you buy the products, it'll give what you buy an interesting dimension. Assuming you want to buy it again after you see this!