The Help is a very good movie about institutional racism in the deep south in the early 1960's (in Jackson, Mississippi around the time that Medgar Evers was murdered). If you read the earlier reviews you will already know that the help are the black housemaids that handled white folks' housekeeping and child care.
There are many fine performances all the way around. The actresses who play the help are excellent. Two of them deserve consideration when award season comes around again. The actresses who play the seething, detestable, racist oppressors of the help are portrayed as one-dimensional cartoonish characters. One exception is a ditsy, white- trash-blonde-sexpot with a heart of gold who married up. It turns out that she is also on the receiving end the wrath of the southern belles. To conjure an image of the belles, imagine a race-baiting June Cleaver, pearls and all, with a deep-south accent and nasty disposition added to her sweet side. For the ditsy blond, gather up and image of Ellie May Clampett from the Beverly Hillbillies.
The only multi-dimensional white woman in the film is the southern girl who is hell-bent on breaking the mold. She returns from college and decides to write an expose of the help; with the help of the help. She enlists the maids to be her confederates in her clandestine operation.
Although somewhat predictable, the film is engaging, moving, sad, enraging, funny and well staged and performed by all of the actors. I enjoyed The Help and I think you will too.
There are many fine performances all the way around. The actresses who play the help are excellent. Two of them deserve consideration when award season comes around again. The actresses who play the seething, detestable, racist oppressors of the help are portrayed as one-dimensional cartoonish characters. One exception is a ditsy, white- trash-blonde-sexpot with a heart of gold who married up. It turns out that she is also on the receiving end the wrath of the southern belles. To conjure an image of the belles, imagine a race-baiting June Cleaver, pearls and all, with a deep-south accent and nasty disposition added to her sweet side. For the ditsy blond, gather up and image of Ellie May Clampett from the Beverly Hillbillies.
The only multi-dimensional white woman in the film is the southern girl who is hell-bent on breaking the mold. She returns from college and decides to write an expose of the help; with the help of the help. She enlists the maids to be her confederates in her clandestine operation.
Although somewhat predictable, the film is engaging, moving, sad, enraging, funny and well staged and performed by all of the actors. I enjoyed The Help and I think you will too.