Last night I went to go see the The Help but I will start off by saying I have never read the book so I wasn't for sure what to expect. I knew it was based in the south and it took place in the Civil Rights movement. I also know from news reports that the movie said the "N" word and how unsettling it was for the news caster. I also knew my sister read the book and liked it and she and I have the same taste in movies so I was intrigued but it was the ads that sold me. The ads also made me believe this movie would be a little bit comedic. It was not. My friend started crying and and I definitely got tears in my eyes. Now don't get me wrong there were some funny moments but I found it very moving.
Before I saw the movie, I thought the Emma Stone character, Skeeter, was from the north and she came down to the south because she couldn't get a job in the north. That is not the case she is from the South but she is different from the other girls around her, she is not focused on getting married and having babies. She wants to be a writer and go to New York. She also seems more aware of the inconsistencies in the life in Jackson, Mississippi but she becomes more aware of the lives around her through writing her book than she ever had been.
When I walked home I updated my Facebook status to tell people that I just saw The Help and thought it was wonderful but maybe they should bring tissues. Two people wrote that the African American Community did not like it because they thought it glossed over the realities of the maids life. I will say this is not the Color Purple by any stretch of the imagination, it also doesn't try to be. Yes there are no rape scenes, but you do learn about the violence that these women faced, and the danger they faced getting there stories published and even talking to a white woman the way they talked. Though it is not a bloody massacre on the screen that's not what the movie is about. I think it was honest and I thought it was good to know even a small detail of the Civil Rights story. Because this I would hope would inspire people to read and learn more about the time period. I know the story is fictional but its based off reality, and that reality is some times a little hard to swallow and though a lot people want to sweep it under the door mat and act like it didn't happen... it did. Talking to my mom, she told me she was raised in a household that had a black maid named Ellie (I hope I got spelling right) and how my Nana made the women of Seminole, Oklahoma upset by paying Ellie a quarter an hour when the other women paid their maids ten cents an hour. I am not saying that its right but it happened and not that long ago and we can't forget it and if people keep writing and making movies about it, it won't be forgotten. However I am not from the African American community so I found a blog review from some one who is click here.
Now back to the movie... The Help is about two maids Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson and their lives with Hilly Holbrook and Elizabeth Leefolt. Hilly is played by Bryce Dallas Howard (who you can tell is related to Ron Howard) she is friends with both Elizabeth and Skeeter but is the leader of the pack and also the a big "B" word if you ask me and I kept wondering in the movie why no one really stood up to her. The maids couldn't because if they did they risked their jobs and their lives but the other girls let her get away with whatever even making one girl Celia Foote a complete out cast. But after the first few minutes of the film Skeeter wises up to the reality of the world around her and tries to help the maids out by getting their stories out. When she is pitching it to her editor she says "Margaret Mitchell, glamorized the role of the Mammy but no one ever asked the Mammy how she felt" and that's what she does.Aibileen played by Viola Davis is the good maid following orders and helping raise the girl of the Leefolt family. But she is the first maid to really speak up for the maids. She hears a sermon about Moses, when he tells the Lord he can't go to Pharaoh because he is not a good speaker, and the pastor says courage is about knowing what is right and doing what it takes to make it true (sorry I may have gotten the quote wrong) but that is what inspires Aibileen to tell Skeeter the truth. Then Minny, the comedic relief of the movie gets inspired to tell Skeeter her story. And through actions of the movie, I don't want to give it away, other maids speak up.
One small interesting glimpse in the movie that I liked, to show off that Skeeter was different then the other girls was that they scan down to her typing and as they do you see her bookshelf and it has Mark Twain and To Kill a Mockingbird on it.
I hope this movie gets a few Oscar nominations, especially in costuming because this movie brought the 60s back to life and each costume seemed to fit the character.
These are my thoughts on the movie but go and see it for yourself. My friend who I went to go see the movie with wrote a posting on it as well click here to read Random Acts of Babble.
