'The Help' wanted, very wanted
Skeeter (Emma Stone), left, and Aibileen (Viola Davis) as unlikely cohorts in "The Help." (Walt Disney)
Every once in a while a movie comes along that's daring enough to lift the lid covering the grisly history of mistreatment of black people in this country up just enough for movie-goers to take a clear, often painful look at reality.
In 1985,Steven Spielberg's "The Color Purple" drew an Academy Award nomination for Whoopi Goldberg as Celie, a mentally and physically abused victim of incest first seen as a teenager and followed for 30 years.
"Precious," ironically also about an incest victim having a second child, moved the struggle against social injustice into modern-day Harlem. Like Goldberg, newcomer Gabourey Sidibe, who portrayed the mentally tortured title character, made the short list of Oscar nominees, but did not win.
"The Help," based on Kathryn Stockett's best selling novel of 2009, operates in the same downtrodden arena. This time, though, there's a buoyancy of levity to ease the blows as snooty white society "ladies" mistreat their nannies and maids in 1960s Jackson, Miss.
Here's what those who dearly love Stockett's novel need to know first: Don't worry. "The Help" is, in my semi-humble opinion, one of the finest films of 2011.
If you don't fight back tears, laugh out loud and want to stand up and cheer more than once, it might be a good idea to have someone check you for a pulse.
Director Tate Taylor worked with Stockett, his longtime pal on this project. They grew up in Jackson, Miss., so capturing the mood of the era is never a problem. And there's this. This project was churning along as a movie-in-the-works before the author even found a publisher for the novel.
For that reason, "The Help" deserves a break from the usual concerns the transition from novel to big-screen of hugely popular books ("Harry Potter," "Twilight," "Eat, Pray, Love") usually stir up.
Viola Davis, who earned an Oscar nomination for brief screen time opposite Meryl Streep in "Doubt," graces this inspiring tale of courage throughout. Davis turns in a brilliant, understated performance as Aibileen Clark, a Mississippi maid and nanny who has raised 17 white children of employers. During that long stretch of low-pay servitude, Aibileen saw her only child die needlessly.
Reluctantly, Aibileen reveals the secrets, struggles and sacrifices it takes to be a black servant in white households in the racist '60s Old South. She gradually opens up to Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan (Emma Stone), a recent Ole Miss grad who dreams of being a writer. Skeeter, gradually standing up to her racist grownup of childhood pals, might just have an ear for a novel about black maids willing to tell all. A New York City magazine editor is intrigued.
This may sound like grim subject matter, and it certainly is at times. Armed with a smart, inspirational script he co-wrote, however, director Taylor ("Pretty Ugly People") uses the comic talents of Octavia Spencer ("Dinner for Schmucks"), who plays Minny (Aibileen's best friend), and others to garnish the difficult subject matter with effective Southern fried humor.
"The Help" is what I used to call a station-wagon movie. We can update that now to call it an SUV movie. That means gather as many friends and family members as you can pack into your car, van or sports utility vehicle and get to the movie house to see a spectacular crescendo of emotions likely to sweep you off your feet.
When you steady yourself, you might discover you're in a better place; a place of acceptance, compassion and understanding.
In 1985,Steven Spielberg's "The Color Purple" drew an Academy Award nomination for Whoopi Goldberg as Celie, a mentally and physically abused victim of incest first seen as a teenager and followed for 30 years.
"Precious," ironically also about an incest victim having a second child, moved the struggle against social injustice into modern-day Harlem. Like Goldberg, newcomer Gabourey Sidibe, who portrayed the mentally tortured title character, made the short list of Oscar nominees, but did not win.
"The Help," based on Kathryn Stockett's best selling novel of 2009, operates in the same downtrodden arena. This time, though, there's a buoyancy of levity to ease the blows as snooty white society "ladies" mistreat their nannies and maids in 1960s Jackson, Miss.
Here's what those who dearly love Stockett's novel need to know first: Don't worry. "The Help" is, in my semi-humble opinion, one of the finest films of 2011.
If you don't fight back tears, laugh out loud and want to stand up and cheer more than once, it might be a good idea to have someone check you for a pulse.
Director Tate Taylor worked with Stockett, his longtime pal on this project. They grew up in Jackson, Miss., so capturing the mood of the era is never a problem. And there's this. This project was churning along as a movie-in-the-works before the author even found a publisher for the novel.
For that reason, "The Help" deserves a break from the usual concerns the transition from novel to big-screen of hugely popular books ("Harry Potter," "Twilight," "Eat, Pray, Love") usually stir up.
Viola Davis, who earned an Oscar nomination for brief screen time opposite Meryl Streep in "Doubt," graces this inspiring tale of courage throughout. Davis turns in a brilliant, understated performance as Aibileen Clark, a Mississippi maid and nanny who has raised 17 white children of employers. During that long stretch of low-pay servitude, Aibileen saw her only child die needlessly.
Reluctantly, Aibileen reveals the secrets, struggles and sacrifices it takes to be a black servant in white households in the racist '60s Old South. She gradually opens up to Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan (Emma Stone), a recent Ole Miss grad who dreams of being a writer. Skeeter, gradually standing up to her racist grownup of childhood pals, might just have an ear for a novel about black maids willing to tell all. A New York City magazine editor is intrigued.
This may sound like grim subject matter, and it certainly is at times. Armed with a smart, inspirational script he co-wrote, however, director Taylor ("Pretty Ugly People") uses the comic talents of Octavia Spencer ("Dinner for Schmucks"), who plays Minny (Aibileen's best friend), and others to garnish the difficult subject matter with effective Southern fried humor.
"The Help" is what I used to call a station-wagon movie. We can update that now to call it an SUV movie. That means gather as many friends and family members as you can pack into your car, van or sports utility vehicle and get to the movie house to see a spectacular crescendo of emotions likely to sweep you off your feet.
When you steady yourself, you might discover you're in a better place; a place of acceptance, compassion and understanding.
