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Laramie Movie Scope:
The Help

How much, and how little we've changed

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by Robert Roten, Film Critic
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September 3, 2011 -- “The Help” one of the most controversial films of the year, arrived in Laramie, finally, about a month after it opened in the rest of the country, where it has achieved both box office success and mostly positive reviews. This is no mean feat. A movie about the trials and troubles of black maids in Mississippi in the early 1960s is not the stuff that movie blockbusters are made of, but this movie has easily cruised along to more than $100 million in domestic ticket sales, blockbuster territory.

The film has been criticized as being racist, too soft on racism, too funny, not dramatic enough, and all kinds of other nit picking which boils down to one general criticism, it isn't perfect. Maybe not, but it is very good, and very moving, with some wonderful performances. At the same time, parts of it are painful to watch because of the hateful attitudes of some of the characters, attitudes which still exist today. I've reviewed the criticisms of the film and I agree with John McWhorter's assessment of the film, published in the August 17, 2011 issue of The New Republic, “The Help isn't racist, it's critics are.” You can look it up.

“The Help” is based on a novel by Kathryn Stockett. Although it is a fictional account, the film comes across like a based-on-fact story. Although it is over two hours long (137 minutes) it seems much shorter because the story is so compelling. The two main characters are the longtime maid, Aibileen Clark (played by Viola Davis of “Doubt”) and an aspiring young writer, Eugenia 'Skeeter' Phelan (Emma Stone of “Easy”). Skeeter wants to write a book about black maids in Mississippi from the point of view of the maids. Aibileen points out to Skeeter that this kind of book could get them killed. She is finally convinced to talk to Skeeter on the record. Aibileen's friend, Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer of “Dinner for Schmucks”) also agrees to talk to Skeeter, but they have trouble convincing other maids to take the chance. Skeeter can't get her book published unless she gets more sources.

Work on the book must be done in secret because the project is dangerous, and illegal according to Mississippi's restrictive race laws. Much of the film revolves around the racial attitudes of whites towards blacks and the doctrine of “separate but equal.” Some white people were so afraid of blacks they refused to use a bathroom that a black person had used. In one dramatic scene, an elderly black maid is fired because her visiting daughter refused to use the back door to visit her. There is also a scene about violence against a black woman by her own husband. Although there are many white people depicted as very racist in the movie, others are not so, and some are uncommonly kind to blacks. One story told by an elderly black woman tells how she was threatened with death for crossing a white farmer's land. Another man bought the farmer's property so that she could cross the land with no problems.

Minny Jackson's relationships with her white employers go from one extreme to another. She is fired from one job after another for being outspoken. In one case she retaliates against her former boss in a unique way. In another case, she is accepted by her employers as virtually a member of the family and is treated with respect. Aibileen is more reserved and subservient, but she stands toe-to-toe with a white woman who threatens to send her to jail over a frame-up and calls her bluff. This is near the end of the movie, and it represents her growth and newfound courage to stand up for herself.

Much of the film is about having the courage to speak up against those who are racist and challenge their statements and oppose them. Skeeter and Aibileen both gain a lot of courage during the course of the film. Another character who gains courage surprisingly is Skeeter's mother, Charlotte (Allison Janney of “Away We Go”). The acting in the film is excellent by a very solid cast, which includes such luminaries as Academy Award-winner Sissey Spacek and iconic actress Cicely Tyson of “Sounder” and “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.” This story is centered on women. Men play mostly secondary roles in the film, and most escape notice, except for that little scene-stealer Leslie Jordan, who plays a loopy, cartwheeling newspaper editor. People in the film use southern dialects similar to people of the period. These kinds of old southern dialects are less pronounced now, a casualty of the nationalization of the language caused by television.

“The Help” is a film not only of high drama, but comedy as well. There are humorous touches now and then which show that even racially and economically oppressed black maids found occasion to laugh now and then. This makes the characters all the more human. This is a funny and dramatic film with a lot of emotional power. It rates a B+.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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Copyright © 2011 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.
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Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at my last name at lariat dot org. [Mailer button: image of letter and envelope]

(If you e-mail me with a question about this or any other movie or review, please mention the name of the movie you are asking the question about, otherwise I may have no way of knowing which film you are referring to)