The Help

Starring: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jessica Chastain, Allison Janney, Mike Vogel, Sissy Spacek, Mary Steenburgen, Anna Camp, David Oyelowo
Directed by: Tate Taylor
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
2011

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: In the 1960s, an aspiring writer (Emma Stone) decides to write a controversial book from the point of view of the African-American maids.

Review:

Tim: There's so much to like about The Help, but I can't fight the feeling that it wasn't quite as good as everyone has been making it out to be. It's certainly an entertaining, funny, heartwarming movie. I'm not sure I would include it on my "Top 10" of 2011 list, though.

I really struggle with this movie. On the one hand, I applaud any film that gets us to confront the evils of racism while showing the plight of African-Americans in this country, even so recently as 50 years ago. If you can do that while also telling an inspiring, humorous story, then that's even more impressive. However, I couldn't help but feel this whole film is a bit too self-congratulatory to white people, especially when no one actually had the guts to write this book in real life during that time period. I am glad that the film brings this subject matter to audiences, but it felt a bit like it trivialized a difficult time period for entertainment's sake.

This is not to suggest that The Help isn't powerful. The movie does a fantastic job of creating some believable, humorous, memorable characters. It's helped by a very strong cast, but the script and the direction both needed to be in place to pull off this story as successfully as the movie does. It is easy to watch (although at 2 1/2 hours, is definitely too long) and it's funny. I had a really fun, entertaining time watching this movie.

I really like Emma Stone, so I was glad to see her here. Oddly enough, though, I didn't think she did a great job in the film. I don't have any specific complaints about her, but she didn't wow me in any way in this role. She was far too forgettable. Viola Davis, on the other hand, gives an unforgettable, stunning performance. She gives such a stripped down, emotional, quiet performance that I almost couldn't believe how good it was. Davis seems to be bursting with emotion, restraint, and buried down sorrow in her role. You could actually feel her emotions simply by looking at her face. It's one of the most powerful performances I have seen in quite some time. She's nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress, and I believe she should win.

The film also features a strong performance by Octavia Spencer, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. She was funny, memorable, and integral to the movie's success. I think she's worthy of a nomination, but I'm not sure if I believe she deserves to win. The same thing can be said for Jessica Chastain. She actually gives a surprisingly good performance. While I was watching the film, I thought she was solid but unremarkable. However, as time went on, her performance stuck with me much closer than I would have expected. Again, she deserves her nomination, but not sure about actually winning.

In some ways, you could definitely argue that The Help is an important movie- one that touches on issues of race, reminding us how far we have come (but also how far we still have to go). I applaud people for supporting a movie like this. It certainly could have been boring, preachy, or just plain bad. However, the story definitely comes first, and it's an entertaining one. This is a very solid movie and I definitely enjoyed it. However, I think it falls just short of being one of the best films I've seen this year. I believe it's good, but it's been hyped up just a little too much.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Little Miss Sunshine, Hidden Figures