I thought that this movie was supposed to be set in the American South in the 1960s. But really it seems to be set in an alternate universe where nothing makes any sense. How is it that the protagonist has grown up in the same society as all the other (racist) women, yet has a completely modern, 21st century viewpoint? Things just don't work that way.
Racism in the movie was portrayed as a pervasive but ultimately trivial issue. The movie reduced racism to the petty meanness of society ladies, largely skirting issues such as sexual harassment and mob violence. We have one scene of police brutality and another scene with a vague reference to a shooting, but these events seem to come out of nowhere and vanish without a trace afterward. What happens to the woman who is arrested, after the arrest? We never find out.
Another thing that bothered me about this movie was how the black women are portrayed as largely feeble and helpless until the white women ("Skeeter" and Celia, in particular) teach them to stand up for themselves. This was partly due to the fact that the movie was, first and foremost, about Eugenia's coming-of-age experience and not about "the help" at all. But still, it was dissatisfying.
In addition to these issues, the characterization was rather poor and the cinematography was nothing special.
I wish I were more well-versed in history, so I really lay into this movie properly. But even as my uninformed self, I could tell that there were many things wrong with this movie. Not recommended.
Racism in the movie was portrayed as a pervasive but ultimately trivial issue. The movie reduced racism to the petty meanness of society ladies, largely skirting issues such as sexual harassment and mob violence. We have one scene of police brutality and another scene with a vague reference to a shooting, but these events seem to come out of nowhere and vanish without a trace afterward. What happens to the woman who is arrested, after the arrest? We never find out.
Another thing that bothered me about this movie was how the black women are portrayed as largely feeble and helpless until the white women ("Skeeter" and Celia, in particular) teach them to stand up for themselves. This was partly due to the fact that the movie was, first and foremost, about Eugenia's coming-of-age experience and not about "the help" at all. But still, it was dissatisfying.
In addition to these issues, the characterization was rather poor and the cinematography was nothing special.
I wish I were more well-versed in history, so I really lay into this movie properly. But even as my uninformed self, I could tell that there were many things wrong with this movie. Not recommended.