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Now that I’m done crying my eyes out, a few words on Tate Taylor’s “The Help,” which I caught this afternoon.
It’s a beautiful film, safe, sure, but it knows where to lay the emotional hammer down and where to let the rock keep skipping on the surface. Most striking is the ensemble, as there isn’t a single bad performance in the film. In fact, I’d say all of the them are comfortably above average, the highlights coming from Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer. But then Jessica Chastain was my personal favorite. Oh, and what about Sissy Spacek leaving you in the aisles?
You see? It takes a real special touch to get this kind of across-the-board perfection out of a cast. Bryce Dallas Howard has pinpoint devilish precision. Allison Janney wiggles her way into your heart even after you don’t want her there. Ahna O’Reilly captures that locked-in submissive state wonderfully. Cicely Tyson punches you in the gut with just a few minutes of screen time. On and on. Oh, and Emma Stone…duh.
Stone is great here, a solid anchor. She has a wallop of a line to her mother — four little words — that are delivered with such conviction that I thought I’d fall out of my chair weeping. (Okay, going overboard, but it was a hell of a line reading.) But she’s really just part of the vast assemblage here, and it’s really the best ensemble performance I’ve seen this year. Hands down.
Based on a best-selling novel that I wouldn’t know anything about (but certainly hit home with the “Eat Pray Love” crowd), the film tells the story of Skeeter, an upstart journalist dreaming of a chance to write something meaningful in early-60s Jackson, Mississippi. She finds that opportunity when she decides to write a book from the point of view of “the help,” African-American maids who keep the ship afloat and, most importantly, are as — and in most cases, more — responsible for raising white children as the parents. It’s dangerous to tell these stories in the Jim Crow south, but it’s a calling for Skeeter and a duty for the help.
And the story just sings. It sings because the character work is just so pointed and profound. I thought the film had a bit of a soft landing, as certain lessons you want to be learned just aren’t laearned, but then again, what would be more truthful than that? The whole thing ends up hinging on a (gross) gag that ever-so-slightly diminishes things, but it’s never not good for a laugh and it’s apparent everyone is well aware of the ridiculousness of that particular point, so it’s harmless. I was just caught up in how much I genuinely cared for the characters. And I think that’s always high praise.
Speaking of “Eat Pray Love,” which opened on August 13 last year, “The Help” is slated for an August 10 release date, going after that late-summer, best-seller adaptation money, I suppose. And that’s wise. So awards stuff is probably in mind but a secondary goal at the moment. Regardless, there would be a bevy of campaigns you could launch on this one. As I said, Jessica Chastain was best in show for me. She’s having a real coming-out this year. But Viola Davis would be the obvious choice to rally around, and assuming Disney wants it, it’s definitely in the cards. Octavia Spencer is hilarious and a natural fit, too, so maybe just flip a coin.
The point is, everyone on this cast deserves a piece of whatever awards attention may be coming the film’s way. Bravo to all involved.
[Photo: Walt Disney Pictures]
73 responses so far
1 8-03-2011 at 2:57 pm
Zack said...
Glad to hear that; I’m probably in the minority but I’ve seen a lot I liked this summer, and I was hoping there’d be at least one strong August release to close things out.
2 8-03-2011 at 3:13 pm
Steven said...
I saw this on Monday, and Jessica Chastain was the standout for me too. She’s given plenty of room to work the emotionality of her character while also making me laugh every time she’s on screen. But obvious awards bait is probably Viola Davis.
I can see this film really taking off. I haven’t seen a crowd so behind a movie since The Blind Side, which I wasn’t all that impressed with. This one really caught me off guard; great movie.
3 8-03-2011 at 3:20 pm
JJ1 said...
Wiggin’ out, here. I keep hearing good things about this. All of my friends have read the book and loved it. They can’t wait to see the movie. And now I can’t.
4 8-03-2011 at 3:23 pm
Dana Jones said...
Wow, I’m really suprised at the heavy praise. I’ve heard so many people were skeptical about this film, so I wasn’t sure if it would be all that good. I’m so glad to read this though. The book is one of my favorites this year, in fact, I just finished it a few weeks ago.
Most of all, I’m happy that Emma Stone is really proving to be a solid actress and from the sound of your review, she really does something. Same goes for Chastain.
5 8-03-2011 at 3:23 pm
R.J. said...
I really hope I have the same reaction to the film as you Kris, it’s one I’ve been looking forward to for a while. I’m surprised to hear your thoughts on Jessica Chastain, not because I don’t like her but just because I didn’t know how big her part was. Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer have been the ones that everybody has suggested for awards recognition, but once I saw the trailer I had a feeling that maybe Bryce Dallas Howard could get some love too. I know her character is vile, but the way she seemed to be sinking her teeth into the material had me convinced.
6 8-03-2011 at 3:25 pm
Dana Jones said...
Kris, you didn’t actually like ‘Eat Pray Love’, right? I couldn’t even sit through the entire film.
7 8-03-2011 at 3:28 pm
Kristopher Tapley said...
Didn’t see it.
8 8-03-2011 at 3:30 pm
Drew said...
And my mom is reading the book right in my living room as I read this review lol.
9 8-03-2011 at 3:37 pm
Chad Hartigan said...
I don’t know. I obviously haven’t seen it, but it doesn’t rub anyone else the wrong way that a group of white filmmakers are making a film about white characters doing righteous things during the Civil Rights movement for white audiences to feel good at?
10 8-03-2011 at 3:48 pm
Dana Jones said...
I just re-watched the trailer and it makes the movie look a lot brighter and cheerier than the story really is, despite the pretty cover jacket and easy-to-read font.
11 8-03-2011 at 3:49 pm
Frank Lee said...
Who the heck is Tate Taylor?
12 8-03-2011 at 3:50 pm
SJG said...
Almost as annoying as a white guy complaining about white filmmakers making a film about white characters doing righteous things during the Civil Rights movement for white audiences to feel good at.
In all seriousness, I tend to agree with you Chad, but until I hear people actually complaining that the movie is in someway actually demeaning to black people and civil rights, I’m not going to worry about it. Americans whitewashing (no pun intended) the sins of their past isn’t exactly a new pastime.
13 8-03-2011 at 3:52 pm
SJG said...
That was @ Chad #9, obviously.
14 8-03-2011 at 3:55 pm
Chad Hartigan said...
SJG- I’m sure that the filmmakers made every effort to not be demeaning to black people or civil rights, but it just seems inherent. Anyway, I should see it before getting into it any further.
15 8-03-2011 at 4:03 pm
Kristopher Tapley said...
Chad: Where was your indignation over “Sugar?” I get really tired of that kind of comment, personally. As if it’s impossible to do research and convey something without actually walking in another person’s shoes.
In any case, the seed of your beef is obviously about a white person being the hero here, but that doesn’t fully wash because — well, just see the movie.
16 8-03-2011 at 4:17 pm
James D. said...
Weird. The trailer looks to me to be for the worst film of 2011.
17 8-03-2011 at 4:18 pm
Rashad said...
What’s the tone?
18 8-03-2011 at 4:19 pm
Chad Hartigan said...
I have no problem with people going outside their own demographic or status like “Sugar”, and in fact I respect it. But the potential issue here is mining that specific period for feel good stories aimed at making white people feel better about themselves.
But I’ll stress again, that’s just what I feel is the worst-case scenario for the film and not what it definitely is.
19 8-03-2011 at 4:19 pm
James D. said...
I have a slightly different criticism than Chad. Why is it that Hollywood films only portray social issues that everyone is going to be in agreement with? They love to go back fifty years and show injustices that have since been overcome. It seems to me to be a way to appear socially conscious without actually ruffling any feathers.
20 8-03-2011 at 4:27 pm
Kristopher Tapley said...
What would you suggest, James?
21 8-03-2011 at 4:28 pm
Chad Hartigan said...
James D. – legitimate point but hardly a question since we all already know the answer.
22 8-03-2011 at 4:29 pm
James D. said...
Homosexuality not rooted in the past (Milk and Brokeback Mountain). Abortion. The morality of torture. Things that generally divide people more than segregation.
I don’t think we really see that from mainstream filmmaking.
23 8-03-2011 at 4:30 pm
Kristopher Tapley said...
When it sells, you’ll see it. So get mad at audiences.
24 8-03-2011 at 4:33 pm
Chad Hartigan said...
Tapley drops the truth bomb.
25 8-03-2011 at 4:38 pm
Rashad said...
“The morality of torture.”
You ever see Unthinkable with Sam Jackson and Michael sheen?
26 8-03-2011 at 4:45 pm
Guy Lodge said...
Didn’t “Crash” (the Paul Haggis film, obviously) do pretty much what James is asking for — and still get stick in many quarters for being smug liberal filmmaking? I dislike the film for many reasons, but I do commend it for being fairly aggressive in its contemporary issue-mongering.
27 8-03-2011 at 4:59 pm
Dana Jones said...
Hollywood films are not the first responders to social issues. Unfortunately.
28 8-03-2011 at 5:08 pm
Lucas said...
I’m excited to see it just for Allison Janney. Such an undervalued actress.
29 8-03-2011 at 5:09 pm
Fitz said...
There are plenty of Crazy-Christian films about abortion, but that’s probably not what you meant.
30 8-03-2011 at 5:22 pm
Justin said...
Saw it last week and totally agree with you Kris. Great ensemble performance. I came away feeling that Viola Davis is a lock for a nomination.
31 8-03-2011 at 5:34 pm
tim said...
I’m not sure how the Academy will go for this film but I always saw it as a no brainer for a SAG ensemble nod. Though there so many huge ensemble pieces this year who knows?
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The Help
Crazy Stupid Love
Drive
The Ides of March
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Carnage
Contagion
And I’m sure I’m forgetting plenty.
32 8-03-2011 at 5:49 pm
will said...
Glad to hear this from you, Kris. Wasn’t sure how this one was going to pan out, and I usually take a good review from you or Guy as a pretty ringing endorsement. I was such a fan of what Chastain did in Tree of Life so I’m glad to see her year continuing strong.
33 8-03-2011 at 6:58 pm
Keith said...
Wow. I would not have predicted such praise for this movie. But if nothing else, it makes me happy for the cast.
34 8-03-2011 at 8:00 pm
Wheels said...
I’m glad to read this. I think the trailer is pretty terrible, and it’s been attached to almost every movie I’ve seen for the past two months, so I’ve only had contempt for The Help. But you sold me here. Nothing beats a great ensemble.
35 8-03-2011 at 8:23 pm
SJG said...
Re: whether Hollywood does as good of a job tackling contemporary social issues that are highly contentious as it does “settled” issues that are no longer as contentious, can I actually make the case that, in many cases, it does?
For example, with regards to the abortion issue, I think Hollywood does a very good job of presenting the nuances and moral ambiguity with which many Americans think of the issue. Hollywood isn’t a Political Action Committee. Movies are not PSAs. I would resent watching a movie that took a blatant advocacy position on abortion on either side. But movies as divergent as “Juno” and “Revolutionary Road” have tackled the issue just in the last half-decade, and done so in a very intelligent and, for some, eye-opening way. I don’t think that qualifies as ‘not addressing’ the issue.
Or, with regards to homosexuality, I would say that Hollywood has long done a decent job of addressing the issue. Even during the years with “the Code” a lot of pictures implied homosexuality when they could get away with it, and it’s been addressed blatantly in high-profile and critically and commercially successful films like “Victor Victoria”, “Four Weddings and a Funeral”, and “Billy Elliott”. Admittedly, even since it’s been socially permissible to address the issue, there have still been projects like “The Color Purple” and “Fried Green Tomatoes” that refused to tackle the issue, but I think that’s more the result of timid filmmakers than a result of audiences genuinely refusing to accept movies that portray it.
It’s the same with many other contemporary social issues, I think. Hollywood may be timid at times, but I don’t think it does such a bad job of tackling divisive and contentious issues.
Sometimes it’s even pretty prescient and subversive. I think a movie like “The Pineapple Express” does a better job, deliberately or not, of decrying the drug war than any serious and high-minded drama that would address the subject head on.
Just my thoughts.
36 8-03-2011 at 8:31 pm
SJG said...
Also, I just have to add…
Even though I don’t think Hollywood does such a terrible job of tackling contemporary issues, I do agree that there’s a really cloying propensity for Hollywood to continuously pat people on the back for finally coming around on issues that are settled.
There’s nothing more annoying than sitting through some self-congratulating, overwrought Holocaust drama where everyone feels morally superior to 1940′s Germany…. knowing all the while that many of the people who are so outspoken in their condemnation of something that happened before they were even born would probably not say a peep if Uncle Sam decided to round up Muslims and throw them in concentration camps.
37 8-03-2011 at 8:31 pm
ez6 said...
Ah, this makes me so happy! I thought the book was terrific (even though I’m a young guy) and I already love so many of the actresses involved in the film. Fantastic to hear strong praise from a critic I trust, especially for a movie that could easily have dissolved into kitsch. (And, if I may brag for one second, I believe I called the Jessica Chastain performance when Kris’s preliminary list of contenders was released.)
By the way, Octavia Spencer (the actress) was actually the inspiration for Minnie, the character she plays – the author of the book, Kathryn Stockett, is a close friend of Spencer’s.
38 8-03-2011 at 8:52 pm
James D. said...
SJG: I guess our difference in opinion comes in our analysis of how films tackle issues. I don’t see how Juno tackled abortion at all, and Revolutionary Road did just about everything wrong, at least to me.
39 8-03-2011 at 9:00 pm
Nick Davis said...
Wait wait wait. Cicely Tyson is in this?? Even if Kris didn’t just say this movie is full of actresses giving great performances, that would be enough. Looks like I’ve got plans on Wednesday.
40 8-03-2011 at 9:09 pm
Rashad said...
I thought the lesbianism was more than fine in The Color Purple. It was alluded to the right amount. (Rather obviously honestly.) If it kept going that route, I think it would have detracted from Celie’s evolution as a woman. It would also have made a ham-handed statement about men “pushing” her into that lifestyle.
41 8-03-2011 at 9:28 pm
Afrika said...
Nice white lady premise always sells tickets. The Help is going to be a commercial success.
42 8-03-2011 at 10:07 pm
Speaking English said...
***Homosexuality not rooted in the past***
“My Own Private Idaho?” “Mysterious Skin?” “A Single Man?” “Beginners?” “The Kids Are All Right?” There’s plenty more.
***Abortion.***
“Blue Valentine.” “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.”
***The morality of torture.***
“Unthinkable” and “Rendition” come to mind right away.
43 8-03-2011 at 10:26 pm
Jasper said...
Kris,
Was Stone good enough to garner awards momentum? Her star is still rising, and the premise of this film is so baity; I’ve always thought that a good performance for her would place her in strong contention for this film. She seems to be giving a more likable performance than Tilda Swinton and could steal star-in-making hype from Olson.
44 8-03-2011 at 10:34 pm
Kristopher Tapley said...
Maybe Globes. Maybe.
45 8-04-2011 at 1:26 am
Guy Lodge said...
Speaking English: While I agree with your general point, aren’t you forgetting that “A Single Man” and “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” are set in the 1960s and 1980s, respectively?
46 8-04-2011 at 5:30 am
daveylow said...
If the film is that good and becomes a box office success, which it is likely to given the novel’s huge success with women readers, I think the Academy is going to pounce on this as a way to nominate African American actors, who sound like they deserve it.
(Of course they ignored the wonderful ensemble of The Joy Luck Club but that’s because Asian American actors are invisible to Academy members.)
47 8-04-2011 at 6:27 am
JJ1 said...
Assuming (though, I could be completely wrong, haven’t read the book) that ‘The Help’ is placed Comedy at Globes, maybe Stone could sneak in there?
The list for the ladies seems to be growing in that category, no? Wiig, Rudolph, Diaz, McAdams, Aniston, Roberts, Julianne Moore, Kunis, etc..
48 8-04-2011 at 7:22 am
m1 said...
McAdams is not a lead in Midnight in Paris. If Cotillard is considered a lead, then she’ll definitely get in.
49 8-04-2011 at 7:39 am
Jane said...
Kris, how big is Sissy’s part in the film and what’s her potential for an oscar nom, etc? She’s sorta hot off an almost nom last year for Get Low (or at least seemed to be on most short lists, 6th – 10th on lists it seemed) and is the most nominated and awarded generally of all the cast. Would love to see her in the race a decade after In the Bedroom where she seemed destined to win her 2nd oscar until near the end. Brilliant actress.
50 8-04-2011 at 8:20 am
James D. said...
Speaking English: Most of those films are not mainstream Hollywood filmmaking.
51 8-04-2011 at 10:48 am
matsunaga said...
Haven’t seen it, I’m looking forward too…
But aside from acting nominations, perhaps a costume design nod? Just to dilute the period monarchy tradition of the Oscars…
52 8-04-2011 at 10:58 am
JJ1 said...
Good question, matsunaga. I second that.
Kris, outside of some acting noms … do you see potential for any nods for picture, writing, costume, etc..?
53 8-04-2011 at 11:17 am
Kristopher Tapley said...
JJ1: Definitely not a comedy. As for your other question, I think it could definitely be a best Picture nominee.
Jane: It’s very brief. But nicely layered throughout. Not enough for a nomination, I think.
matsunaga: Perhaps. Sharen Davis is a gem of the field. But I think that only happens if the film takes off in other areas.
54 8-04-2011 at 11:23 am
Brian Duffield said...
Is Chastain even in the trailers?
55 8-04-2011 at 11:40 am
Speaking English said...
***While I agree with your general point, aren’t you forgetting that “A Single Man” and “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” are set in the 1960s and 1980s, respectively?***
Actually, yes, I did forget! Thanks.
56 8-04-2011 at 3:31 pm
AdamA said...
Eh, who can fault a writer or filmmaker or producer or actor for wanting to investigate the social wrongs of the past? Can we really say all of that is “solved” now anyhow?
My issue (having only seen the trailer) is the way that nice white people who *aren’t* raging bigots get placed at center stage, surely to make a white audience feel better. Coughcoughblindsidecoughcough. Not saying this movie does that–but the trailer reminds of a slew of other movies that have. Will see it on DVD.
57 8-04-2011 at 9:41 pm
The Other James D. said...
Considering last year’s lack of a black acting nominee, I wonder if Davis or Spencer (kinda hoping for the latter, personally) could sneak their way in this season, lest there be two consecutive years.
Not that I’m saying there MUST be. There certainly weren’t many options last year to begin with. But with the exception of last year, since 2000, there’s been at least one per season.
Speaks somewhat to the lack of meaty roles I guess, but again, I can see one of these ladies having the support. Davis has a lot of love/respect, especially after Doubt, while Spencer is a hard-working character actress with great comic timing, and might have momentum. Time will tell.
The film should be embraced by the HFPA at least, with another, consecutive nod for Stone likely.
58 8-04-2011 at 11:43 pm
Ligaya said...
Never heard of The Help until I heard Viola Davis was making a movie of it; then read it in one night. Will see movie 2x to make sure of my reaction to film.
(@daveylow: what you said “Of course they ignored the wonderful ensemble of The Joy Luck Club but that’s because Asian American actors are invisible to Academy members.”
@SJG: believe me, there’s a lot of people of color and women tired of white/male directors/writers making our stories when we can do it ourselves – see Bridesmaids and Something New, and plenty who are tired of movies that become about the white person than the real protagonist – see Blind Side, Biko).
That being said, it’s possible for someone not of the same culture to genuinely give voice to that culture – William Styron’s Confessions of Nat Turner & Sophie’s Choice come to mind, as well as Ryan Fleck/Anna Boden’s co-written/directed Sugar and Half Nelson. And both “Confessions” and “Sophies Choice” were very controversial at the time of their release. BUT I think there’s nothing as good as people speaking for themselves.
There’s not much biographical info either in IMDB or Wikipedia on either Fleck/Boden I think I can glean Fleck’s cred slightly from interviews. Fleck and Boden did a lot of research – spending talking with players and prospects for a long time in the Dominican Republic and the semi-pro leagues in New York. Fleck’s an avid Oakland Athletics’ fan so I think he’s noticed the infux of Dominican players. He was born in Berkeley and grew up in Oakland in the 1970s-80s – activist, radical strongholds and integrated urban areas with high immigrant population from all areas of the world, especially Latin America and China.
He decided to become a director after watching Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing and the audience response to it. Fleck/Boden talked about frustration with dealing G.W. Bush administration when making Half Nelson. All this leads me to believe they are factors in his point of view as a writer/director and his ability to relate to people who live on the margins.
59 8-05-2011 at 12:24 am
Ligaya said...
The first thing I thought when I finished the book was that the movie better not be about the white girl being put to the forefront and the two black women pushed to the back in supporting roles.
1. The chapters are headed titled by the 3 main characters Aibileen (first and last chapters), Minny and Skeeter. Aibileen and Minny are the strongest characters. Skeeter’s chapters are almost just the bridge between Aibileen’s and Minny’s – who have seen deep sorrow and trouble in their lives Skeeter can only t0uch on.
2. I If remember correctly from the book, it was the New York magazine editor’s idea, not Skeeter’s to interview the domestic help. Small detail, but altruistic motivation is attributed to Skeeter from the first.
3. One thing that didn’t sit well with me was that Skeeter seemed so cavalier and totally oblivious to the dangers to which she put Aibileen, then Minny, then the other black women at risk. I hope the movie addresses this. We’re talking real life and death here. Famous civil rights leaders were being shot, people were disappeared, it wasn’t safe for black people to be seen with white people except in their domestic capacity.
4. The book was criticized for having the black women characters speak Southern vernacular while white characters spoke standard American English. I hope this is corrected in the movie.
The Help had good things going for it: good characterization, women’s relationships and changing alliances, ways to be subversive.
60 8-05-2011 at 1:48 am
Josh said...
So Tate Taylor, the unknown Director, buys a plantation home after directing a movie about injustice. Does that make any sense? To me, it is like rewarding all the bigotry the movie is about. He should be ashamed.
61 8-05-2011 at 5:15 pm
Ligaya said...
The U.K. vs. U.S. trailer versions. U.K. vs. U.S. book covers.
http://acriticalreviewofthehelp.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/clash-of-the-trailers/
http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/archives/if_you_missed_it…listen_to_the_sa_live_podcast_season_2_ep_14_the_help_co/#comments
Shadow and Act – On Cinema and the African Diaspora, is an indiewire blog; ignore the initial amateurishness(?) of the hosts. In this podcast, the 2nd caller, who’d seen The Help trailer attached to the Jump the Broom movie, reacted with, “Oh, no, not another Magical Negro movie.”
The 3rd caller, a woman who’d read the book *and* saw the film at a screening in a predominantly black audience in North Philadelphia, was very incisive at great length in her criticism of both the book and the movie. One of her main criticisms was how the film removed the teeth/claws and nuances which were in the book.
Notwithstanding the wonderful ensemble performance Kris saw, or how beautiful the production and music may be, the male co-host said blacks are facing The Help with trepidation. He’d read that the screenings were mostly to audiences of white women and that their response was overwhelmingly positive – a flag for him that the movie made them feel good by allowing them to detach themselves from the issue of racism today and the past.
62 8-05-2011 at 6:23 pm
Ligaya said...
http://acriticalreviewofthehelp.wordpress.com/2011/07/31/come-awards-time-what-will-hollywood-do-with-the-help/
Come awards time, what will Hollywood do with The Help?
Great ensemble acting:
http://acriticalreviewofthehelp.wordpress.com/2011/07/02/help-should-have-learned-from-glory/
What The Help movie should have learned from Glory
63 8-06-2011 at 7:59 am
JJ1 said...
My question is this (and I’ve heard other people ask the same): wouldn’t the black people of that era be afraid to talk to Skeeter and risk losing their jobs? The concept seems a bit implausible to me.
I hope that doesn’t come across as an ignorant question. If so, I apologize.
64 8-06-2011 at 10:16 am
Ligaya said...
Not an ignorant question at all. *Black* people of that era were afraid to associate with other *black* people known to be involed in the Civil Rights Movement in fear of losing their jobs, their houses being bombed/burned down, or even being lynched.
Aibileen said “no” 3 times but Skeeter pressured her to say yes for the sake of advancing Skeeter’s career.
In my post #59, “One thing that didn’t sit well with me was that Skeeter seemed so cavalier and totally oblivious to the dangers to which she put Aibileen, then Minny, then the other black women at risk. I hope the movie addresses this. We’re talking real life and death here. Famous civil rights leaders were being shot, people were disappeared, it wasn’t safe for black people to be seen with white people except in their domestic capacity.”
Author Stockett is either naive (hard to believe since by all accounts she’s described as intelligent and talented) or willfully chose to ignore or revise the true history of the Civil Rights Movement and placed it in the background. The book The Help is a well-written, fast-paced story, but I was most interested in what happened with Aibileen and Minny.
I hope the movie improves on the book’s flaws. I read that Viola Davis gave some suggestions and that the filmmakers even took some of them.
In any case, I think we should see the movie.
65 8-06-2011 at 10:43 am
JJ1 said...
Thank you Ligaya for your response. :)
66 8-07-2011 at 11:33 am
Tamila Smith said...
Well, I’ve been following this film very closely. 1. Spencer was good friends with Taylor the director not Stockett.
2. They’ve screened this film for black audiences (I was apart of that group) and we LOVED it. gave it a standing ovation.
3. Davis and Spencer are the standouts. Chastain, Howard, Janney and Stone definitely give strong performances along with Aunjanue Ellis and Cicely Tyson.
4. Ligaya: The notion that black people in this era would’ve been afraid to associate w/ those involved in civil rights is valid but, were it not for those who weren’t afraid, we would still be in Jim Crow Era and without civil rights. Obviously these people existed. Can you say black panthers, and all of the different student organizations through out the south during that period.
5. I am glad that this isn’t just another civil rights movie. I’m glad that Stockett focused on the relationships between the women and not on the brutality of the region. We’ve seen far too much of the latter and not enough of the former.
67 8-07-2011 at 11:35 am
Tamila Smith said...
Well, I’ve been following this film very closely. 1. Spencer was good friends with Taylor the director not Stockett.
2. They’ve screened this film for black audiences (I was apart of that group) and we LOVED it. gave it a standing ovation.
3. Davis and Spencer are the standouts. Chastain, Howard, Janney and Stone definitely give strong performances along with Aunjanue Ellis and Cicely Tyson.
4. Ligaya: The notion that black people in this era would’ve been afraid to associate w/ those involved in civil rights is valid but, were it not for those who weren’t afraid, we would still be in the Jim Crow Era and without civil rights. Obviously these people existed. Can you say black panthers, and all of the different student organizations through out the south during that period.
5. I am glad that this isn’t just another civil rights movie. I’m glad that Stockett focused on the relationships between the women and not on the brutality of the region. We’ve seen far too much of the latter and not enough of the former.
68 8-08-2011 at 3:33 am
the other mike said...
civil rights movies are the new holocaust movies. Obama came through for his people.
69 8-08-2011 at 9:58 am
Ligaya said...
@Tamila: Maybe you’ve attended more than one screening, I haven ‘t attended any and will reserve my response to the film until I’ve seen it. I’ll watch it twice on different days to see if I react emotionally and intellectually in the same way. I read the book only on reading that Viola Davis was starring in it. I know many of the actors on the ensemble and admire them greatly, and greatly support an all-woman ensemble. Notwithstanding their probable great performances, especially on Kris’ advance notice, the message that the movie puts across can be problematic at best .
I agree there should be more nuanced portrayals of events and history – the messiness of real life – in movies, unlike the movies I saw when I was growing up when the Confederates, Germans, Japanese were always cardboard villains. I think Ken Burns’ Civil War series and Clint Eastwood’s 2-part series on Okinawa are examples.
I agree no actor should be held responsible to representing their whole race/gender, nor represent solely a positive role model (although Sidney Poitier felt that responsibility since he was the first major black actor) but allowed to audition and play a whole range of roles (from saint/God to pimp, Malcolm X to druglord), ESPECIALLy *non-traditional,* noi-stereoptyped roles/tropes associated with women and people of color.
This interview with Viola Davis and Denzel Washington just before they were to appear on Broadway in Fences is very revealing. In Part 1, Viola talks about how so many of her roles were as a “function” and not fully fleshed characters who had deep lives and developed as the play/movie proceeded. In Part 5, Viola talks about the first part she was offered after her nomination.
http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/archives/great_conversation_w_denzel_washington_viola_davis_on_acting_the_industry_m/
[After my doctors’ appointments, my response to your main point: EXACTLY – Who were the main agents the Civil Rights Era – White Saviors? The Help’s Message]
70 8-08-2011 at 10:31 am
Ligaya said...
In the meantime, the current Entertainment Weekly (with Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Emma Stone cover) has an op-ed, “THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CIVIL RIGHTS ERA,” by author Martha Southgate on why she can’t get on board The Help’s train, bestseller that it is, popular among some blacks as it is. It’s not up on ew.com’s website yet.
Excerpt:
“This isn’t the 1st time the civil rights movement has been framed this way fictitiously, especially on film. Most Hollywood civil rights movies features white characters central, sometimes nearly solo, roles. My favorite (not!) is Alan Parker’s Mississippi Burning, whic gives us 2 white FBI agents as heroes of the movement. FBI agents! Given that J.Edgar Hoover did everything short of shooting Martin Luther King Jr. himself in order to damage or discredit the movement, that goes from troubling to appalling.”
71 8-13-2011 at 6:00 am
JJ1 said...
Can we have a Tell Us What You Thought of “The Help” thread? :)
72 8-13-2011 at 7:04 am
Ligaya said...
yes, please.