Help me Find a Flaw

Easily the most powerful movie of the year so far, The Help is the believable fictional story of Jackson, Mississippi during the beginning of the civil rights movement. The story centers on Skeeter, a recent college grad with aspirations of becoming a writer, and the to worlds she's caught between. On one side is the Junior league and racist white Jackson, on the other side are the ranks of black workers who are treated as less than dirt. It's a familiar theme that's been studied in American History classes for decades, has been made into many movies of varying quality, and is still unfortunately alive in some people's minds and hearts. However, the way this story was approached, cast, and filmed made it magnificent. I have no idea how close this was to the original novel by Kathryn Stockett, but if the pair follows the normal 'the book is better than the movie' trend, the novel must be absolutely amazing.


The casting for the movie is perfect, with Allison Janney and Emma Stone playing a dysfunctional mother.daughter duo, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer portraying strong women in the face of racism and cruelty, and Bryce Dallas Howard leading an army of socially brainwashed southerners. Where many actors and actresses play the racist antagonist live a super-villain, Howard and the rest of the cast play their roles realistically: evil without realizing they are evil. When a character acts in a manner that seems completely wrong to most people (i.e. gut-wrenchingly racist) the audience has to feel that the character believes it before they can believe the character. Every single person in this movie accomplishes that.

While the subject-manner of the film is a pretty dark subject, one than has haunted the history of America more than most other developed countries, I found the movie to be over-all lighthearted. hat I mean by this is that I found myself smiling or generally happy throughout the film. I cried from happiness more than sadness, but the emotions evoked from the film are different from person to person. My dad, who grew up in Florida in the 50's and 60's found the movie to be all too real and it disturbed him, though he still said it as his new favorite movie. What helped me to enjoy the film so much was the character of Celia Foote, the "white trash" social pariah who befriends Minny (Octavia Spencer) and treats her like and equal and/or mentor instead of as "the help". She as the comedic relief and so loveable that you'd have to be a really angry person not to love that character and every scene she's in.

 

I mean come on, this is just adorable!

The best review I can give for this movie is this: hen was the last time you went to a movie where no one spoke or started to move to leave until the "music by" credits rolled? What's more, the majority of the movie-goers in my theater didn't get up until the screen went black and the scrolling credits started. The credits up to that point had been over a street, not some cool montage, but a street where one woman slowly walked into the distance. I will not be surprised if this movie garners multiple Oscar wins, specifically Viola Davis and/or Octavia Spencer for supporting actress in a drama.

 

I reserve this Oscar for The Help. No one can take it from them.

5 stars out of 5