On Lee Daniels' The Butler

  It's already getting Oscar buzz, hype, creating conversation, and it is pegged by several critics of the must see movie of the summer. No, I'm not talking about Planes. The movie is Lee Daniels' The Butler. This movie walks the viewer through the life of butler, Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker), who served as a butler to the President of the United States beginning with Dwight Eisenhower and ending with Ronald Regan. The movie also captured a lot of the of the prevailing social issues that dominated life for African Americans during their fight for civil rights during the 1950's and 1960's.

  The movie begins by showing scenes from Gaines' childhood growing up in the deep south. Tragedy, hardship, and a stroke of luck land Gaines a job working at an upscale hotel in the deep south, where he is befriended by the hotel's butler. Together the two of them faithfully serve the hotel and its guests day in and day out. It was working at this hotel that the opportunity of a lifetime falls in Cecil Gaines' lap. He gets a job opportunity to work at a prestigious hotel in Washington D.C. Gaines' readily accepts the job, and his hard work, dedication, and charming personality land him an even bigger job in 1957: a job serving one of the most powerful men in the world, President Eisenhower. Thus begins Gaines' career serving the most powerful people in the world. It is a remarkable film with a stellar cast and in-depth glimpse of life in the Oval Office, but even greater than that the film shows the struggle by African Americans for full acceptance in American society. The film also shows poignant moments from Gaines' personal life, and it really give the viewer an personal feel to the film. You will walk out of the theater thinking that you know Cecil Gaines.

  In terms of family friendliness The Butler falls about on the middle of the spectrum. There is little sexual scenes or innuendos in the film. But, the film does have moments of strong language, violence, and scary images. I would rate it 2.5 out of five stars in terms of family friendliness. In terms of overall quality the film shines at some moments and not at others. Whitaker and Winfrey are absolutely stellar in terms of acting, but the script leaves characters undeveloped, tries to do too much in the time frame allotted, and feel forced at times. I would bet it will see lots of attention come Oscar season, but for this reviewer it only gets 2.8 out of five stars.