The Help

If this film were total fiction bearing no relation to reality, it would still be worth seeing for the fine acting and production values--even if some of the young white women approached "Southern Gothic."

But it wasn't fiction--at least, the depiction of Southern society wasn't. As I watched I kept drifting back to small-town South Carolina in the 1950s, where I grew up. It was moving and disturbing to be reminded how black people were treated then--loved and yet "kept down in their place." Our neighborhood was all middle-class and every family had a maid. There were plenty of boys my age, we visited in each other's homes, and called every maid by her first name. One even started a baseball team for the little white boys, for which her reward was a visit by the Klan.

Our maid helped my mother cook and clean. One of my parents picked her up and took her home every day--and she rode in the back seat. She ate her lunch in our kitchen--without being allowed to use our utensils. I remember her eating with her fingers. I do not remember ever seeing her use our bathrooms. I thought about that during the movie and truly cannot recall what she did, an embarrassing gap in memory.

I do remember when my father was out of work and our maid had to be cut back to three days a week. I actually cried; she was a member of our family. When talk about civil rights began in the late 1950s, my mother became annoyed at our maid for getting "uppity." And so it went. We moved to central Florida in 1961, where there were no maids.

Travel back in time with this film. It's quite real, and I highly recommend it.

Recently the other Dude and I were discussing that not many award worthy movies come out during the summer; then I see The Help. To say it is not a story that I am normally interested in would be an understatement. I wasn't around during the time of segregation to fully appreciate the depth of this story. Additionally, if there was ever a movie that screamed "chick flick" it would be this one. In spite of that, I've heard wonderful things about the book and decided to view the movie. I'm happy to say that I'm glad that I did. Virtually unknown director Tate Taylor put together a cast of relatively unknown actors and actresses that truly made the story go.

Taylor, whose last movie was the little seen Pretty Ugly People, grabbed a familiar actress to join him in making The Help, Allison Janney. Other than Janney the only other familiar actresses in the movie are Cicely Tyson and Sissy Spacek. The rather unknown cast has a fresh feeling on the story and there are no preconceived notions based on a past actor or actresses work. That being said Emma Stone (Easy A), and Viola Davis had a true coming out party in The Help. Both women played fantastic parts, which really made the cast mesh nicely together. Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain were all spectacular in supporting roles alongside Stone and Davis.

When a movie doesn't have the explosions, crazy action or crude humor that we've become accustomed to seeing in newer movies there has got to be a great story attached in order to maintain your interest; The Help had that great story. There aren't many movies that have you laughing, crying, or getting angry and end up still being fantastic and that is where this one had me. With my common rule of no movie should be over 2 hours unless it is special; this one is very special. I would be surprised if there aren't a number of nominations coming.

Children: If they can handle a lot of dialog it is age appropriate for 10+ Award Worthy: YES! Nominations for: Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Screenplay, Picture, Director Entertaining: Yes Summer Movie Grade: A+ Is it Worth the Price of a Movie ticket: Yes Would I watch It Again: Yes

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The Help is set in the 1960's where colored people had little to no rights and mainly focuses on the colored maids working for the "white" people.I didn't really want to see the movie but it got great reviews so I decided to check it out. I must say this movie was quite touching and very well done.

The cast is excellent with award worthy performances from Viola Davis, Emma Stone and Octavia Spencer - the main cast. The acting was amazing and there was great chemistry among the respectful classes of people in the film ( the whites and the blacks).

The script was well written and I love the balance of comedy and drama. There are some intense scenes however the comedy makes the movie more enjoyable rather than just a movie to make you feel sad all the way through. There was a perfects balance there and I loved that. The film also took you on a roller-coaster of emotions. Sometimes you were sad, extremely happy, angry or laughing. Its also one of those movies that can hold your interest from beginning to end.

With great performances, a brilliant script and a film so touching and inspiring, The Help is definitely a must-see!

While "The Help" has received TONS of great press and a ton of SAG and other awards, I am also aware that there is some controversy concerning the film. Some people have felt that the film was a bit paternalistic--as it might be interpreted as yet another story of a rich, enlightened white lady going out to help all the downtrodden black folk. I am just not sure if I could see this or not--especially as the black women in the film end up showing LOTS of strength during the course of the film. BUT, I am also a white guy--and it's not fair for me to automatically brand the film one way or another. Just be aware that there are a few who resent the idea of this film.

I could discuss the plot, but LOTS of other reviewers have discussed this. So instead, let's talk about what I liked and didn't like. I liked the acting. The problem, however, is that giving any of these actresses awards is tough as it's such an ensemble cast. I can truly understand why the Screen Actor's Guild chose to award ALL the cast a joint award. The direction was very nice and the movie was well filmed. The script was also very nice--and quite inspiring. My quibbles are VERY small---very, very small. I felt that a few characters were a bit one-dimensional (particularly the lead villainess). Also, the ending of the film seemed to drag out a bit and wrapping it up a bit sooner. It wasn't a bad ending--but tightening would have heightened the overall emotional impact.

So my advice for you is to see this film. While I still think "Hugo" is the best nominated film this year, I can see the merit in "The Help" winning and "The Artist" sure seems to have a lot of momentum. So, do yourself a favor and see all three--all three are terrific.

I took our 12 year old daughter to see this movie and we both loved it. She was not thrilled when I told her we were going to see a film that told a story from the civil rights era but when we left she said she loved it because of the women's courage, their humor and the power of their friendships. We had never seen most of the actors which was refreshing and the acting by the entire cast made it easy to get totally involved. I laughed out loud and shed quite a few tears in The Help, and will remember it and recommend it to my friends. It was wonderful to see so many scenes in which the actors related to each other so perfectly. Even the vilest characters showed moments of conflict within themselves as they played out poor behavior that had long been inbred in them. I am especially grateful to the team who provided a film that told an engaging story about human relationships with important lessons for my daughter. That is a rare occurrence in today's movies.