The Butler

As much as it pains me to say it, stories such as this are hackneyed in Hollywood. We see plenty of movies about racial inequality that manage to make us feel nothing. That's how I felt about The Help last year. This year, however, my standard was reset by the absolutely heart-wrenching and brilliantly written and performed 42. So, my standards for this film are very high, especially with the large amount of Oscar buzz surrounding it.

The trailers don't do this movie justice. This is not the story of a black man's importance in the White House. It's not a story about a black man overcoming adversary in a period of social instability. No, the story is far more interesting then that. The story is about a father, working the hardest he can in a field that he loves, fighting his son's lack of appreciation and desire to do far more with his life than his fathers subservient job. That's a fascinating idea, one I haven't experienced in such a way.

But that doesn't mean this film is free of problems. For some reason, this story about a butler working through several presidencies raising his Black Panther son isn't enough for the filmmakers. No, there's adultery, relationship issues, the usual Hollywood problems. And as usual, it wears thing. I'd much rather learn about the relationship between the two. To the films credit, I loved the structure. I really liked learning about Cecil Gains growing up, how becoming a butler started as a way out of the fields and became a passion. I loved watching the son start out questioning his fathers occupation, watching it grow into activism.

A lot of critics criticized the Forrest Gump style story telling, the fictional story (although it is inspired by a true story, it should be noted that the vast majority of this story is fabricated) mixed in with historical events affecting the characters in a similar sentimentality. Like Forrest Gump, the cast was talented and passionate about the project. But unlike Gump, there isn't a character like Forrest, one that is so lovable you can't help but cheer him on. In fact, unlike the true story, Whitaker's character manages to succeed rather quickly. His pay and equality in the work place is hardly addressed, instead opting to tell the story of his relationship with his son. That's all fine, but we have no reason to support Whitaker anymore. We have more of a reason to support his son Louis, despite the film painting his image to be more rebellious rather than mature.

All in all, the movie is definitely an interesting approach to the civil rights movement. There are scenes that work fabulously in demonstrating the struggle. But by the end, it suffered from the one problem too many movies suffer from - why did I need to know this story? I felt a little bit let down, again after seeing 42 earlier this year. But there's plenty to appreciate in this movie. And I'm sure we'll see it at the Oscars this year.

Rank - 3/5