Screen_Blitz
One of the best things viewers can take away from this historical biopic is a valuable history lesson of how African-Americans sustained in America during a period when racial intolerance was an issue dominating society for a long time. Lee Daniels, director of the powerful drama 'Precious' and the enormously flawed mystery drama 'The Paperboy', takes his turn on shining light to one of America's least tolerant eras. The primary core of the story is an African-American named Cecil Gaines who rose from a victim of racial injustice, to a man seeking to make a difference in a fractured society. That is where actor Forest Whitaker comes into play, suiting up into the role of a man who, as the title indicates, served as a butler in the White House from the Cold War era before retiring in the late eighties during the Ronald Reagan administration. Although some may argue that Daniels's rendition of Cecil Gaines's story feels overly conventional than riveting, which is justifiable, it is the performance Forest Whitaker who succeeds on keeping things running. This film follows the story of Gaines (played by Forest Whitaker), a father and husband who took a job serving as the butler for eight consecutive presidents while coming to terms with the racial prejudice that ran amok during since his childhood. Living at home is his wife Gloria (played by Oprah Winfrey) and his two sons Earl (played by David Banner) and Louis (played by David Oyelowo), the latter of whom is eager to make a difference in the social politics and sets out to Tennessee to fight against the racial injustice as a freedom rider, much to his father's dismay. Supporting Whitaker is a cast of Terrence Howard, Lenny Kravitz, and Cuba Gooding Jr., each of whom who play his co- servants during his years serving for the office. As moving as The Butler sets out to be, it more often succeeds as a long history lesson of the racial politics during the Cold War era than a powerful picture to tug at your heart strings. That is not to say I wasn't moved during numerous moments throughout the film. With Lee Daniels working behind the wheel and exploring the ground roots of the racial discrimination that defined the dark corners of society including separation of restaurant attendees; demonstrated in one emotionally jarring scene, lynchings by the Ku Klux Klan; displayed in an even darker scene, and the White House's refusal to gift African-Americans with equal pay, there is plenty of unpleasant, yet intellectual feed to given from its subject matter. The segments following Cecil Gaines's son in the south during the Freedom Riders movements are irresistibly powerful and handled with sheer maturity that defines his character. As for tapping at the heart with an emotionally resonance, the film does have it moments that can leave viewers choked up. For a story set in during the Civil Rights era, it is not hard to see why. It is during the final thirty minutes when the story jumps the shark and grows less interesting than it experienced prior. On the upside, you can always count on Forest Whitaker to tap at the heart strings with his tour- de-force performance, as is Oprah Winfrey, sparkling with overwhelming humanity as a wife struggling to connect with her emotionally tortured husband. In addition, Daniels does succeed at granting his story with a heart and soul, even when it reaches its moments of emptiness. While Lenny Kravitz, Terrence Howard, and Cuba Gooding Jr, are admirable in their small roles, chances are viewers are gonna be hit with shock by the unforeseeable appearances by Robin Williams, James Marsden, Liev Schreiber, John Cusack, and Alan Rickman -- each of whom take the role of a president from the years 1957 to 1989. Considers this an Easter basket of surprises. The Butler is a riveting historical biopic gifted with genuine performances by some of the most charismatic Hollywood actors of the African-American community, and a powerful, if flawed exploration of the history surrounding the racial politics. It is a smart piece of history worth sitting through for those hungry for a balance of engaging storytelling and lessons on history. Is it Oscar-worthy? That is debatable.
xanthevilla
Lee Daniels', the Butler, is an amazing film that includes the right amount of playful banter to make it a light-hearted civil rights film, rather than a bash on racial segregation. The cinematography of this movie helps speak to the audience, evoking the emotions felt in the actual times of the civil rights movement. The graininess of the movie's quality adds to the mood, where it makes us feel poor and insubstantial, almost like African-Americans back then. In my opinion, it does a very good job explaining what things were like back then, and how they evolved with new presidents. It is interesting to start the movie in the late 1800's and move throughout time up until the late 70's. This film teaches about bigotry in an entertaining, yet mellow way where it does not feel like a racial attack or mockumentary. Overall, I highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes documentaries but cannot stand the basic, boring commentated kind.
