Butler, The (2013)
THE SCOOP
Director: Lee Daniels
Cast: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, John Cusack, Vanessa Redgrave, David Oyelowo, Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Robin Williams, Alan Rickman, James Marsden, Liev Schreiber, Jane Fonda
Plot: As Cecil Gaines serves eight presidents during his tenure as a butler at the White House, the civil rights movement, Vietnam, and other major events affect this man's life, family, and American society.
Genre: Biography / Drama
Awards: -
Runtime: 132min
Rating: NC16 for some violence and disturbing images, language, sexual material, thematic elements and smoking.
IN RETROSPECT (Spoilers: NO)
Some
critics have accused of Lee Daniels of being too 'Lee Daniels', of trying to be
too blatantly sympathetic to the African-American community. Others lamented his ambitiousness in trying
to cover the troubling American race politics of the 20th century in an
omnipresent sweep of the major events that are now considered historical
milestones, rather than through a more intimate and introspective look at a few
key moments that more than illuminated a nation's conscience.
For
me, I think Daniels has done a decent job.
While it is not going to sweep the Oscars any time soon, the film
remains well-put together, though it is not without its weak moments. Starring a
host of recognizable names that could possibly be read off as an invitation
list to The White House, The Butler
is very much held together by two central performances from two charismatic
actors – Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey, both of whom light up the screen
even when the material becomes ominously dark.
The
rest are given supporting roles, or you might even say, cameo roles – Robin
Williams, John Cusack, Alan Rickman play past US presidents, but not
necessarily with aplomb. The ensemble
cast works to some extent, but everything still falls back to Whitaker and
Winfrey.
Daniels
pretty much has a good grasp of American racial-political history. It is also made quite palatable to the
average Joe, though that itself implies that the film doesn't really bother to probe
on issues from an intellectual standpoint, but rather finds easy comfort in
just presenting what happened in the last century.
Whitaker
playing as one of the longest serving butlers of The White House is at once
interesting because he is such a fine actor, and also ironic. The irony is made particularly obvious as
Daniels emphasizes on the notion of a black man who serves longer at The White
House than any white man could ever dream of.
The Butler
at times feels lengthy, not because it has a lot to cover, but that the
material is not always consistently engaging.
It however quite successfully depicts the black man's plight, and
despite the strife and struggles, there is a sense of optimism for the future. American history buffs and racial equality
advocates are more likely to catch this, but they might also be the most
critical.
GRADE: B (7.5/10 or 3.5 stars)
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