Sunday, September 4, 2011

My move reviews: The Help

This movie is not a social commentary on the horrors of American apartheid in the early 1960s. It's basically a chick flick wrapped in the demagoguery of preaching against racism and the downtrodden black maids, and the bad treatment they receive at the hands of skinny white debutantes. That being said I liked the movie. Sure it was filled with archetypes: Skeeter (Emma Stone) as the plucky, liberal I can see what nobody else can see main character, Aibileen (Viola Davis) as the steadfast dignified servant, Hilly (Bryce Dallas Howard) as the whining spoiled racist and Minny (Octavia Spencer) as the sassy with a dark-side side-kick; but overall it was a solid film. Marketed as a drama I think its funnier moments were the best played. Viola Davis hums when on screen giving a layered performance that demands for her to be given bigger roles. She brings her anger and emotions almost to a boil then blanches them off making you want to lash out against the people that harm her. I enjoyed the chemistry between Minny and her hapless boss Celia Foote (played with some breadth by Jessica Chastain). They created a touching comic duo: Celia-"They [the debs] don't like me because of what they think I did." Minny- "They don't like you 'cause they think you white trash!" The few men in this movie are nothing more than set pieces used to propel the story forward by their dastardliness. One thing I must say...can we please stop violating pies. Over all this was a good movie.

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