PLOT
"The Butler", based on the life of a real White House butler, follows the life of Cecil Gaines, a man whose been taught from childhood in slavery to be subservient and to never speak up. In the late 50's, during Woodrow Wilson's term, Cecil becomes a butler at the White House. During this time, Cecil's son, Louis, is going off the college and is involved in the budding civil rights movement. Father and son clash as their two different views on life and of each other change over a period of 30 years.
PROS
This movie is all about its performances and it delivers. Everyone gives a great performance, the stand-out being Oprah, who plays Cecil's wife. She truly is a great actress and it's a shame she's not in more films.
Cecil's relationship with his son is the best part of the this movie. The scenes they have together are all great and are the true backbone of the film. Seeing these two different people from different times and different philosophies clash is very interesting and help to keep the movie going for its 2 hour length.
There are a few reenactments of famous moments from the civil rights movement and they're all done very effectively and hit me hard. I was close to tears during all of them and while they may be a tad over dramatic, they still convey their point very well.
This is a very black focused movie, which I really appreciate. Most movies about the civil rights movement or about a black person over coming something usually have to have a white person there to help them out and do most of the work, like the person can't do anything without the help of a white person, "The Blind Side" for example. Luckily, this film avoids that completely and is better for it.
CONS
A big part of the advertisements for this movie is the actors playing famous presidents. Sadly most of the actors don't do a good job playing their parts. While the actors aren't bad, they just don't bring anything to the table and it can be hard to tell who's playing who. A good example is John Cusack as Nixon. He looks and sounds nothing like Nixon, he's just being John Cusack and we're told he's Richard Nixon.
The film can get a little over dramatic and cliched at times. While it's not a huge deal, it does take some of the tension and seriousness away from scenes.
CONCLUSION
"The Butler", while an average bio-drama on the surface, rises above by focusing on the relationship with Cecil and his son and less on the presidents and Cecil's affect on historical events. It's a well made film that follows all of the classic beats, but does them well and is worth seeing if you haven't yet
RATING
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