The Help (2011)

Great setting, cast, story and performances. A must to be seen....

I just watched The Help, almost immediately after finishing the book. Now, when comparing The Film to The Book it was based on (generally speaking), one major rule of thumb almost always applies: The Book is better. The Help is no exception.

Accordingly, with the novel still so fresh in the back of my mind, separating my mind from the book in order to enjoy the film was an almost impossible task. No matter how hard you try, you just can't quit comparing the two, nitpicking every detail and being frustrated with everything they changed. Nevertheless, I was still able to enjoy the film for what it was, though I am glad that I possessed full knowledge of the actual story.

The Help tells the story of black domestic servants in 1960's Jackson, Mississippi. It focuses on white Miss Eugenia...

Great watch, probably won't watch again, and can recommend.

To be fair, you should watch this prepared for what it is:
a racial suffrage movie.

That means that it is filled with racism and unfair strife, and stupid jerks of the elite class that are under the impression that they can still buy and sell people because they do.

This is a fantastic movie, but it is a heavy, serious story, and the humor in it barely makes it more palatable in that regard.

The cast is filled with great actresses who give excellent performances, the script is well written, and the production value is great.

It isn't going to provide a level of escapism from worldly problems, but I don't have to like a movie to recognize its greatness....

I hadn’t quite realised the extent to which racial segregation laws permeated into every day life, especially when a black person couldn't cut a white child’s hair or write anything remotely disparaging about their white brethren. “Skeeter” (Emma Stone) returns from college and decides there might be a way around this. She will write the book, but a selection of women from their Mississippi homes will provide the meat for this literary sandwich. These women are maids who all have stories to tell, but she faces quite a battle convincing them to spill any beans. That’s partly from loyalty, partly from fear and also because they all know that the local community on all sides is disinclined to rock the boat. It’s to “Aibileen” (Viola Davis) she initially turns and after some pe...