The Butler

In terms of racism-related films, you can organize them along a feel-good/feel-sorry spectrum. An example of a feel-good movie is "Remember the Titans" and an example of a film in the middle of the spectrum would be "The Help". I would classify "The Butler" as a feel-sorry film and that is its flaw. I liked the movie but the sad moments were not balanced with triumphant scenes. The acting was very impressive although some of the casting decisions were faulty. The design of the film was great in that you believed each decade that was depicted. Lee Daniels, the Oscar-nominated director of "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire", did his job right also. Another noteworthy quality of the show was the editing.

I like the linear plotline. While non-linear would have been interesting, you understand the change in society a little better in this case with continuity. Going into the movie, I was expecting the protagonist to be a little more proactive. I was expecting his professionalism to speak loudly to the various presidents but Cecil is more of a witness than a man who creates huge change. He does have influence in the White House but he is more of an observer. The depiction of the sit-in was pretty powerful and I like how is it edited against the dinner being prepared at the White House. Another well-done scene is the attack on the Freedom Riders' bus. It is hard for me to imagine that people could be so blind and evil. I like the Louis' plotline but it feels too convenient with him being involved in everything from the Civil Rights movement, to the Black Panthers and finally in politics. It believed Forrest Gump's storyline because it was a fictional story in a non-fictional world. "The Butler" however is inspired by a true story and for Louis to do all that he did in his life while his father stayed in the same job was a tad unrealistic. I am not against the depiction of the Black Panthers for example; it just seemed obvious that the filmmakers were trying to cover every angle of civil rights. They could have had Charlie survive Vietnam and be the one to go into politics after having undergone an emotional change that comes with war. I was very grateful for the scene during the 80's when Cecil and Louis reconcile. We then get the humorous subsequent scene with them both in jail with this being Cecil's first time. As I said before, much of the movie was negative and there were not enough celebratory moments to balance them out. Cecil and Gloria's invitation to dine at Reagan's dinner party should be a happy moment but instead, Cecil sees it as for show only. I have seen examples in my own life where someone does something nice and the recipient wonders what the catch is. One accurate part of the story is when Cecil's wife dies just before Obama is elected. The career of White House butler Eugene Allen inspired this film and his wife Helene died on November 3rd, 2008. The use of archival footage in "The Butler" was well done such as during the Kennedy assassination and the election of President Obama. I am not a fan of films where characters are over talking each other. This makes enjoying the story harder because we contactly have to keep up. I am not against a movie that requires the audience to be active in interpreting the film's theme but I do favor passive audience participation. I am also somewhat disturbed by comparisons that are made towards the end of the movie to Nazi Germany's concentration camps. There are similarities to be made between examples of racism but for one thing, there were no "death camps" in America. Hitler wanted the Jewish people eliminated. There are atrocities committed the entire world over but any group can be a target. There are big and small instances of prejudice with everything in between. I was bullied in high school not because of the color of my skin but because of my conduct and character. Members of my church during the first 100 years were discriminated against and even killed in the United States. My point is that when sending a message by means of a movie, you should acknowledge the ability to conquer all evil. "The Butler" shows how civil rights were obtained but fails to include the notion of forgiveness. We should learn from history for sure and never forget it but we must put more focus on the victory obtained. One part of the true story left out is the fact that Eugene Allen over the course of his whole career at the White House was promoted from pantry man to maitre d. The movie could have shown his various promotions over the years and ended with his departure from the White House, with a final scene being his invitation to meet with Obama twenty years later.

While the performances of all the cast members were applause-worthy, the casting could have been better. Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker was dramatic as always and I liked Oscar-nominated actress Oprah & her work. I didn't recognize Mariah Carey at all as Cecil's mother. This movie seems to have a lot of well-known African American actors such as Oscar-winner Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrance Howard. As an interesting coincidence, Oprah and Howard's characters in "The Butler" have an affair where as the characters they voice on "The Princess and the Frog" are married. Oscar-winning actor Robin Williams was convincing enough. The voice he chose was good. He has played a president of the United States before in the "Night at the Museum" franchise but thanks to makeup and acting talent, there is a definite separation of both characters. The characters that I feel were incorrectly cast were Kennedy and Nixon but then again, they are so famous that it is hard to cast those roles in the first place. After seeing Greg Kinnear and Frank Langella perform Kennedy and Nixon respectively, it is not impossible to recreate these presidents on screen and the fault wasn't James Marsden's or John Cusack's. Both actors did fine with vocal mannerisms and Cusack's profile at one point was reminiscent of Nixon's. I just think they were not the perfect choices and more could have been done in terms of hair and makeup. I also wanted more time with all these actors playing presidents such as Alan Richman as Reagan. The principle actors were aged very well in this movie by way of acting and makeup.

Even though the movie does belong in the same class as "Forrest Gump", there was a lot done to make it unique and original. I am grateful for that. The piece of criticism I wish to vocalize the most is that the film had a lack of happy moments. Despite all the good qualities of "The Butler" such as acting, editing and design, story is first for me in terms of importance. The plotline of this movie was soulful and I desire inspirational. Don't get me wrong, the movie does inspire but not in a way that fully entertains me.

3.5 Stars