bryan says...![]() I remember last year (or the year before) when The Help popped up on Stephen King's 'Best Books of the Year' list. As my favorite other, I really trust his opinion on other authors' works, and was searching through the list for the books that stuck out to me.
The Help was not one of them. Yes, it was a best-seller, and yes, it was critically acclaimed, but it also sounded like another Color Purple/Nicholas Sparks hybrid that pretended it was revolutionary while really making light of a terrible situation while manipulating its audience. Needless to say...I didn't add it to my Amazon wishlist (which is here for any of you looking to buy me a gift. Don't judge for the presence of lots of lame things). Now, a year (or two) later, I started hearing buzz about the film adaptation, most notably starring Emma Stone (who, in my opinion, has begun to really prove her chops 'round these parts). While the trailer looked decent, I still shrugged it off for the same reasons I never picked the book up. Then, the movie opened at number two - and CLIMBED the box office to the #1 spot for the next two weeks (and it's going for its third). This kind of business is unprecedented, and the word-of-mouth success is similar to very strong performers of the past. Suddenly I knew...it was time to get Help. Best. Decision. EVAAA. I don't even know how to begin to describe my love for the movie - but I can tell you this. Though it gets off to a shaky start (with style, direction, and the script) it soon finds its feet and therefore, finds success. Emma Stone may be top billed as the 'lead', but the film totally belongs to Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer. Davis proves yet again that she is one of the most talented actresses working - the pain she can display is so real that it grates your very core. Spencer's role was much more comedic - but that does not mean that she shined any less. After years of performing one-line roles as nurses/accountants/mall walkers she finally got to DO something on camera, and I hope this is the beginning of her long-lasting career. ...and just because those two ladies were amazing, doesn't mean that Emma Stone struggled. She perfectly adapted her comedic timing to fit with the setting (60's Mississippi) but still gripped you when things got dramatic. Like Davis, she makes you care so much about her that you can't help but feel for them. Bryce Dallas Howard also turns in a great performance as the main antagonist - she's one of those evil people played so impeccably that you're forced to like them. The only person I felt was a bit disconnected from the rest of the talented cast was Allison Janney as Stone's character's mother. Though she is wonderful throughout, her accent was just too shaky too believe. She came across as a caricature living in a world otherwise populated by living, breathing people. Though the movie has quite a running time (almost 2.5 hours) you'll never feel tired or the need to check your watch. The story is absolutely gripping - heartbreaking in many moments but also funny in some. Throughout the theatre, there was everything from nervous laughter at an uncomfortable joke to open weeping during one of the many gut-wrenching scenes. Not only is The Help the best movie I've reviewed since we started this site - I'll go so far as to call it the best movie of the year. Expect to see Oscar nominations for Stone, Davis, and Spencer (and possibly Howard), in addition nominations in the directing, costuming, and cinematography categories. Oh, and I guarantee a spot for BEST PICTURE as well. I'm going to give The Help 4.5 cotton candies. Rewatch Value: I know I'm going to pick this one up when it comes out on Bluray. It accomplishes what so many movies fail to do - make you feel. | emily says...![]() When I first saw the trailer for The Help a few months before it came out, I immediately rolled my eyes. Sure, it looked like something my mom would happily see and sob at, but to me it looked like a nightmare--a schmaltz fest of epic proportion trying to lure in all the viewers of 2009's The Blindside.
After its critical success and its impressive showing at the box office, though, I decided to give in to the buzz. Two hours and seventeen minutes of sobbing later, I can say that I'm very happy I did. Based off of the 2009 novel The Help by Kathryn Stockett, the film tells the tale of a feisty young woman nicknamed 'Skeeter' (Emma Stone) who decides to do the unthinkable in the heat of the civil rights movement: record the stories and hardships of the African American help ever-present in her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi. As Skeeter's novel begins to unfold through secret interviews, life becomes even more difficult and dangerous for the African American women assisting her (Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer), and each must battle both internal and external demons to complete the controversial novel. While the plot is certainly compelling, it is also at times too jarring in its multiple perspective method of story telling. I'm a huge advocate for staying true to the book, but the screenplay could've done with eliminating some of the side plots--particularly the one with Skeeter's love interest, the Zac Efron look alike Chris Lowell. The film also strays from the path in regards to realism. Though it deals with very real issues, its frequent girl-power one liners and over exaggerated characters (Bryce Dallas Howard's Hilly Holbrook) sometimes make it seem like a nice painting of the South rather than a real picture. These minor annoyances could not deter me from enjoying the film, though. And this is all due to the performances. Though the star-studded cast was the one thing I was excited about even in my initial perceptions of it as a Disney-esque cry-fest, I was not prepared for just how powerfully moving the performances would be. I found myself crying multiple times (though thankfully not as loud as the girl sobbing uncontrollably behind me). Stone, one of the most lovable comedic actresses in my opinion, didn't disappoint as the ambitious Skeeter. She played the emotional moments perfectly without losing the adorable and amusing quirkiness that always makes her a joy to watch onscreen. Though she was billed as the "lead" and certainly showed off her dramatic acting skills, the film truly belongs to Davis and Spencer. The two are perfect together as a duo with Spencer adding plenty of sass as usual. Spencer also got a much needed chance to demonstrate her emotional side too, though, and she did so here with surprising subtlety since audiences most prominently recognize her as that lady who walks by in the background, says something like "Damn girl," and moves on. And Davis couldn't be more heartbreaking--her scenes were undoubtedly my favorite, and I can very confidently call someone whose eyes don't at least water in her final scene a soulless demon. Howard also is fun to watch (and to hate) here despite the fact that her character becomes caricaturey at times. And Sissy Spacek as her mother also throws a few much needed laughs into the film. Overall, the film was exactly what I expected it to be: a cryfest. But it was, shockingly, a good one. As a genuinely moving film with a brilliant cast, I'm sure I'll see it again both at this year's Academy Awards and as part of my collection at home. I give The Help 4 cotton candies. Rewatch Value: I can't wait to see this one again! |