'The Butler' Movie Reviewn'The Butler' written by Danny Strong, was inspired by Wil Haygood's article in The Washington Post, entitled 'A Bu...
'The Butler' Movie Reviewn'The Butler' written by Danny Strong, was inspired by Wil Haygood's article in The Washington Post, entitled 'A Butler Well Served By This Election'. Haygood served as a butler through 8 presidential administrations.nIn this film, we follow the journey of Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker) who as a boy in 1923, picked cotton on a Georgia farm, alongside his father and mother. nnIn one of the most heart wrenching scenes, Cecil watches as one of the farm's overseers, (Alex Pettyfer) rapes his mother (Mariah Carey) and then shoots his father, (David Banner) dead right in front of him. nnLucky for Cecil, everyone down South isn't a sick, evil bastard...Thanks to the kindness of the plantation's matriarch (Vanessa Redgrave) he's taken out of the fields and given a job in the main house as a servant. nnIt's here, serving Ms Redgrave, that his education starts...Cecil learns how to be the 'perfect servant' to white folks....which translated means...Putting on a mask and smiling...no matter what he hears or sees.nnCecil is a quick learner and it's not long, before he gets a job at an upscale hotel, where he excels. nnThis gets the attention of the White House's black maitre d'... Freedie Fallows (Colman Domingo), who hires Cecil as a butler, after making sure that he has no political affiliations. Fallows informs Cecil that 'There's no tolerance for politics in the White House'.nnSomething Cecil never forgets.nnHe winds up outshining all the other other butlers on staff, including his two BFFs, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Lenny Kravitz and becomes the favorite of eight presidents, including...nnDwight Eisenhower (Robin Williams), Richard Nixon (John Cusak), John F. Kennedy (James Marsden), Lyndon B. Johnson (Liev Schreiber) and Ronald Regan (Alan Rickman) nnThrough Cecil, we get to experience the birth of the 'civil rights movement', starting with Eisenhower reluctantly sending in federal troops to Little Rock Ark to desegregate the public schools, and ending with Ronald Regan, refusing to boycott South Africa for their apartheid policies.nnBefore I say anymore about this film, I must mention the performances by the remarkable cast, starting with..nnMiss Oprah Winfrey as Gloria, Cecil's wife. She gives a beautiful, complex performance, as a woman struggling with loneliness, addiction, the changing times and a son, Louis (David Oyelowo) who chooses, despite his father's disapproval, to take a break from college and join The Freedom Riders. nnThe actors, depicting the various presidents, are spot on especially, Liev Schrieber and Alan Rickman.nnRounding out the cast are Terrence Howard as a lecherous neighbor, his wife Adriane Lenox and Elijah Kelley who portrays Cecil's younger son, Charlie) nnAnd now for Mr. Whitaker...All I can say is Oscar...Oscar...Oscar. The choices he makes as an actor are not big or showy...They are small, subtle, layered, and powerful.nnHe gives Cecil a profound dignity and grace. His character, especially when silent, says so much.nnThe Butler' takes us on a journey...at times it's a gut wrenching one, through a period in our country's history, not too long ago, when ignorant men committed some of the most horrific atrocities toward other human beings.nnBut Daniels doesn't just saw us the lynchings, the beatings, the violence, we also get to see the courage and the unbreakable commitment of the people involved in the Civil Rights movement. They are the true heroes of the film.nnAnd as for Cecil...He's a man that doesn't want to make waves. The civil rights movement and the violence it brings, scares him. nnBut as our country changes, so does Cecil and he comes to understand how vital it is to stand up to injustice.nAnd that's what makes the ending of this film, so very sweet and so very moving... nnDon't worry, this isn't a SPOILER. I think everyone knows who got elected in 2008)nnThe film brings us right up to Cecil voting for the first African American President of the United States.nnI think it's obvious how much I loved 'The Butler' which opened Friday, August 15, 2013 and that's why I gave it 5 bagels out of 5. Unfortunately John had the flu and didn't get to see it, so no bagel score from him.nnBut check out our video review, he does get a few words in...with a not too shabby British accent.nnPlease SUBSCRIBE to us at youtube.com/twojewsonfilm and LIKE us on our Two Jews On Film facebook page. Thanks everyone. Less
