The Help (2011)
8.204 /10
8757 Reviews
Rate This Movie:
Aibileen Clark is a middle-aged African-American maid who has spent her life raising white children and has recently lost her only son; Minny Jackson is an African-American maid who has often offended her employers despite her family's struggles with money and her desperate need for jobs; and Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan is a young white woman who has recently moved back home after graduating college to find out her childhood maid has mysteriously disappeared. These three stories intertwine to explain how life in Jackson, Mississippi revolves around "the help"; yet they are always kept at a certain distance because of racial lines.
Videos & Photos
cast
... Skeeter Phelan
... Aibileen Clark
... Hilly Holbrook
... Minny Jackson
... Celia Foote
User reviews
Great setting, cast, story and performances. A must to be seen.
Director:
Genres:
Release Date:
2011-08-09
Run Time:
146 min
MMPA Rating:
PG-13
Reviews of
The Help
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 'Skeeter' Phelan, and her efforts to give a voice to black maids by writing their stories from their perspective and thus giving them an opportunity to be heard for the first time in their lives. Among the black women, Aibileen and Minny are the two key characters.
So let's just get the "bad" stuff out of the way. One of the elements in the novel that I enjoyed the most was the incredibly delicate bond of trust and understanding that builds up (over an extensive period of time) between Aibileen and Skeeter. It really does take Skeeter a long time before she finally wins Aibileen over and convinces her to share her deepest feelings with a white woman. In the film, this process felt rather rushed, like Aibileen just woke up the next morning and decided to do it. What bothers me about this is not just the fact that (oh, cliché) it was "better" in the book, but mostly because the film forgets to underline WHY it took so long. Not only is it much more clearly explained in writing that these black women face an incredible danger in divulging their true feelings about the white women they work for, the film also fails to capture the palpable tension and sense of urgency of the book. These women aren't just risking their jobs, they are risking their lives, AND the lives of their loved ones. They're in danger just for being seen talking to a white lady. I found this to be a rather big flaw of the film.
The film also lacks a lot of the character development I was hoping for. Quite a few character changes were made, so that in the film they all just kind of appear out of nowhere, and more or less seem to go about their business without – again – the big "why" of it all. One of the most underexposed characters was a woman named Celia Foote, who is a poor white trash girl who married way out of her league – and because of it, has to face the constant disgrace and condescension from the other stuck-up, "sophisticated" white ladies. Celia is just the sweetest, loveliest person in the entire story, and her relationship with her maid Minny is heart warming. The fact that they barely included this in the film is a real shame.
OK – if I keep comparing the film to the book, this review will never reach its end. Obviously, there is a lot more I could (and certainly want to) say, but it's not really relevant to the effectiveness of this review. So, moving on.
At least they got the actors right! Each and every one of them was cast spot-on to their character. Emma Stone is wonderful as Skeeter –capturing her youthful daring and naiveté perfectly. There's also something about her voice and attitude that make it clear that this girl is different from her snooty bridge club peers. Viola Davis is the perfect Aibileen – all I kept thinking was, damn, she should have gotten that Oscar. Her performance is very moving and heartfelt. Octavia Spencer did actually win an Oscar for her role as Minny, and it was well deserved. She is exactly as I imagined Minny to be – sassy, smart-mouthed and with an attitude that could render any white woman speechless, even if it means losing her job a dozen times. Celia Foote is played by Jessica Chastain, and I fear I'm at risk of doubling over in superlatives to describe how perfect she was, so I'll just leave it at this.
The Evil Witch in this story is Hilly Holbrook, played by Bryce Dallas Howard. I'm not sure how big of a compliment it is to say that she is very good at playing a snide, cunning racist – so let's just say she is a very good actress. Another actress worth mentioning is Allison Janney, who plays the role of Skeeter's mother. Though she is not quite like I imagined her the way she was in the book (there we go again...), I always enjoy her performances very much and this one's no exception. Oh, and Sissy Spacek plays Hilly's mother, and she is a delight to watch. I got the feeling that the director extended her role to a little more than what it was in the book, just to give her more screen time. I don't blame him.
Overall, the film is properly paced and reasonably well-constructed, though some creative liberties are taken here and there considering the timeline. In comparison to the book, it is a little disappointing, but I can't think of a single book-to-film adaptation where this wasn't the case.
I still rate The Help 8 out of 10, because I think it is an important story to be told and the performances are stellar, but if you have a little more patience, I strongly recommend reading the book instead.
_(March 2013)_
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 persuasion she begins to open up - and boy is it juicy! It’s not just a chance to open some eyes, but it gives the author a chance to re-evaluate her relationship with her own mother (Allison Janney) and with friends “Hilly” (Bruce Dallas Howard) and their odious friend “Celia” (Jessica Chastain) as well as a cast of family retainers who had more to do with bring up the children than any of their privileged parents ever did. When “Minny” (Octavia Spencer) gets sacked and a second source comes on stream for the book, the ridiculousness of, and hypocrisies that prevail in, this society are increasingly laid bare amidst attitudes of visceral hatred. Janney and Howard deliver well, crafting characters it’s easy to relate to - even in quiet a loathsome fashion, and both Spencer and Davis elicit sympathy but not cloyingly - it’s clear that they are worth ten of their wealthier and entitled employers. The boys don’t really feature so much here which allows a focus on the narrative uncluttered by romance, and there’s even a little from Sissy Spacek to add a little extra finesse to what is at times quite a subtly performed indictment of ignorance and bullying. Chocolate pie, anyone?
Cast & Crew of
The Help
Cast
... Skeeter Phelan
... Aibileen Clark
... Hilly Holbrook
... Minny Jackson
... Celia Foote
... Elizabeth Leefolt
... Charlotte Phelan
... Jolene French
... Mae Mobley
... Mae Mobley
... Stuart Whitworth
... Constantine Jefferson
... Johnny Foote
... Missus Walters
... Robert Phelan
... Carlton Phelan
... Yule Mae Davis
... William Holbrook
... Raleigh Leefolt
... Pascagoula
... Gretchen
... Mr. Blackly
... Elaine Stein
... Rebecca
... Pearly
... Cora
... Callie
... Mary Beth Caldwell
... Bus Driver
... White Bus Passenger
... Maid #1
... Henry The Waiter
... Preacher Green
... Rachel
... Gracie Higginbotham
... Woman in Grocery Store
... Maid #2
... Donna The Receptionist
... Jameso
... Missus Walters' Date
... Tire Winner @ Ballroom #1
... Tire Winner @ Ballroom #2
... Party Guest #3
... Lead Singer of Band
... Sugar Jackson
... Bridge Club
... Bridge Club
... Bridge Club
... Bridge Club
... Bridge Club
... Bridge Club
... Bridge Club
... Bridge Club
... Bus Rider (uncredited)
... Bellhop (uncredited)
Crew
... Director
... Screenplay
... Director of Photography
... Producer
... Producer
... Producer
... Set Decoration
... Production Design
... Costume Design
... Original Music Composer
... Art Direction
... Casting
... Casting
... Editor
... Script Supervisor
... Novel
... Executive Producer
... Executive Producer
... Executive Producer
... Executive Producer
... Executive Producer
... Executive Producer
... Executive Producer
... Executive Producer
... Co-Producer
... Music Supervisor
... Music Editor
... Music Editor
... Still Photographer
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Sound Effects Editor
... Supervising Sound Editor
... Production Sound Mixer
... Production Coordinator
... Costume Supervisor
... Rigging Gaffer
... Stunt Coordinator
... Camera Operator
... Steadicam Operator
... Hair Department Head
... Makeup Department Head
... Wigmaker
... Post Production Supervisor
... Post-Production Manager
... Post Production Supervisor
... Unit Production Manager
... Assistant Director
... Stunts
... Stunts
... Stunt Coordinator
... Location Scout
... Digital Intermediate
... Color Timer
... Lighting Technician
... Electrician
... Makeup Artist
... Hairstylist
... Special Effects
... Grip
... Second Assistant Director
... ADR Mixer
... Post Production Coordinator
Similar Movies To
The Help
Fight Club (1999)
8.438/10
A ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until an eccentric gets in the way and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion.
Release: 1999-10-15
The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
7.096/10
When their ocean liner capsizes, a group of passengers struggle to survive and escape.
Release: 1972-12-01
Dogville (2003)
7.759/10
A woman on the run from the mob is reluctantly accepted in a small Colorado community in exchange for labor, but when a search visits the town, she learns that their support has a price.
Release: 2003-05-21
The Experiment (2001)
7.407/10
20 volunteers agree to take part in a seemingly well-paid experiment advertised by the university. It is supposed to be about aggressive behavior in an artificial prison situation. A journalist senses a story behind the ad and smuggles himself in among the test subjects. They are randomly divided into prisoners and guards. What seems like a game at the beginning soon turns into bloody seriousness.
Release: 2001-03-08
To Die For (1995)
6.6/10
Suzanne Stone wants to be a world-famous news anchor and she is willing to do anything to get what she wants. What she lacks in intelligence, she makes up for in cold determination and diabolical wiles. As she pursues her goal with relentless focus, she is forced to destroy anything and anyone that may stand in her way, regardless of the ultimate cost or means necessary.
Release: 1995-09-22
Dances with Wolves (1990)
7.84/10
Wounded Civil War soldier John Dunbar tries to commit suicide—and becomes a hero instead. As a reward, he's assigned to his dream post, a remote junction on the Western frontier, and soon makes unlikely friends with the local Sioux tribe.
Release: 1990-03-30
The Hours (2002)
7.259/10
The story of three women searching for more potent, meaningful lives. Each is alive at a different time and place, all are linked by their yearnings and their fears. Their stories intertwine, and finally come together in a surprising, transcendent moment of shared recognition.
Release: 2002-12-27
Solaris (1972)
7.786/10
A psychologist is sent to a space station orbiting a planet called Solaris to investigate the death of a doctor and the mental problems of cosmonauts on the station. He soon discovers that the water on the planet is a type of brain which brings out repressed memories and obsessions.
Release: 1972-03-20
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
7.995/10
Scout Finch, 6, and her older brother Jem live in sleepy Maycomb, Alabama, spending much of their time with their friend Dill and spying on their reclusive and mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley. When Atticus, their widowed father and a respected lawyer, defends a black man named Tom Robinson against fabricated rape charges, the trial and tangent events expose the children to evils of racism and stereotyping.
Release: 1962-12-20
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
7.8/10
Tom Joad returns to his home after a jail sentence to find his family kicked out of their farm due to foreclosure. He catches up with them on his Uncle’s farm, and joins them the next day as they head for California and a new life... Hopefully.
Release: 1940-03-15
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
8.124/10
A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the U.S.-Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue.
Release: 1987-06-26
Downfall (2004)
7.857/10
In April of 1945, Germany stands at the brink of defeat with the Russian Army closing in from the east and the Allied Expeditionary Force attacking from the west. In Berlin, capital of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler proclaims that Germany will still achieve victory and orders his generals and advisers to fight to the last man. When the end finally does come, and Hitler lies dead by his own hand, what is left of his military must find a way to end the killing that is the Battle of Berlin, and lay down their arms in surrender.
Release: 2004-09-16
The Killing Fields (1984)
7.458/10
New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg is on assignment covering the Cambodian Civil War, with the help of local interpreter Dith Pran and American photojournalist Al Rockoff. When the U.S. Army pulls out amid escalating violence, Schanberg makes exit arrangements for Pran and his family. Pran, however, tells Schanberg he intends to stay in Cambodia to help cover the unfolding story — a decision he may regret as the Khmer Rouge rebels move in.
Release: 1984-11-23
Trainspotting (1996)
7.96/10
Heroin addict Mark Renton stumbles through bad ideas and sobriety attempts with his unreliable friends --Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud and Tommy. He also has an underage girlfriend, Diane, along for the ride. After cleaning up and moving from Edinburgh to London, Mark finds he can't escape the life he left behind as Begbie and Sick Boy come knocking.
Release: 1996-02-23
Interview with the Vampire (1994)
7.381/10
A vampire relates his epic life story of love, betrayal, loneliness, and dark hunger to an over-curious reporter.
Release: 1994-11-11
Soldier of Orange (1977)
7.03/10
The lives of Erik Lanshof and five of his closest friends take different paths when the German army invades the Netherlands in 1940: fight and resistance, fear and resignation, collaboration and high treason.
Release: 1977-09-22
Six Days in June (1985)
4/10
A young man finds a way to spend his last few days of freedom before joining the army. Set in eastern Bosnia in summer of 1968.
Release: 1985-06-26
Original Sin (1992)
4.7/10
Based on a novel by Bo Nishimura, the film is about an extramarital affair between the wife of an estate agent and a 22 year old man.
Release: 1992-10-20
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
7.632/10
Holly Golightly is an eccentric New York City playgirl determined to marry a Brazilian millionaire. But when young writer Paul Varjak moves into her apartment building, her past threatens to get in their way.
Release: 1961-10-06
Jackie Brown (1997)
7.358/10
Jackie Brown is a flight attendant who gets caught in the middle of smuggling cash into the country for her gunrunner boss. When the cops try to use Jackie to get to her boss, she hatches a plan — with help from a bail bondsman — to keep the money for herself.
Release: 1997-12-25