Lee Daniels' The Butler (B+ or 3/4 stars)
'The Butler' (actually called Lee Daniels' The Butler for legal reasons - not that Daniels thinks that highly of himself) is loosely based on the real-life events of White House butler Eugene Allen (and other wait staff), who served under 8(!) presidents. The opening scenes transpire in the Deep South in 1926, when slavery was over, but the sentiment behind it was still going strong. Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker as an adult) is a young cotton picker who watches his beloved father be shot down in cold blood by one of the owners (loathsome Alex Pettyfer) of the plantation. Immediately sensing that an injustice has been done, the old plantation matriarch, Annabeth Westfall (Vanessa Redgrave) invites Cecil to work as her new "house n*gger" {well, at least she was trying ...}.
Some years later, he finds work in a ritzy hotel, where he quickly learns the utmost importance of silence, anticipating a customer's wants, & maintaining 2 faces (1 for the whites, & 1 for his kind). This eventually leads to the genial Cecil being offered a butler job at The White House, where he proceeds to serve under Eisenhower (Robin Williams), JFK (James Marsden), Lyndon B. Johnson (Liev Schreiber), Nixon (John Cusack), & on through to Reagan (Alan Rickman). Cecil sees much unrest & discord through those turbulent years (JFK, MLK, & Malcolm X's assassinations, the Vietnam War, the imprisonment of Mandela, etc.).
Alllll the while, his home life is also filled with unrest & discord. His loving wife, Gloria (Oprah Winfrey), is an alcoholic who initially resents the time Cecil devotes to his job. His eldest son, Louis (David Oyelowo), uses Fisk University as a pathway to civil rights activism. Louis' plentiful activities - which mostly involve peaceful protests - still result in him being mortally threatened by the KKK, beaten, & even jailed. After concluding that MLK's Gandhi-like approach won't work, Louis becomes radicalized & falls into the "black power/Black Panther" movement. Melodrama ensues throughout the late 50s/60s/70s/80s as we watch Cecil & his son approach the ever-changing worldviews through different eyes; and the inevitable rift that would come between them because of that.
Director Lee Daniels burst onto the scene in 2009 with the controversial, yet well-received 'Precious'. His 2nd venture was the unsuccessful pulp drama/thriller 'The Paperboy' {which I kinda liked, anyway}. And now this 3rd film of his is the most straightforward of the pack. I can't say that there's a stamp on the proceedings that says THIS is a Lee Daniels movie. Also, some of the plot incidentals in the script come across uneven or scattershot {plenty of "what-the-heck?" moments going on}. And there's little subtlety (sentiment sometimes hits like a sledgehammer). But ... the whole of the film is much greater than its parts. There's a cumulative power to the proceedings. And the performances that Daniels gets from his wide & varied cast are very, very good.
Script flaws aside, the film shines when focusing on Cecil & his sometimes-difficult marriage to Gloria; and especially on the fractious relationship btwn. Cecil & his son Louis, whose differing perspectives on the role of the black man provides a fascinating point of friction. For Cecil, the only way to advance in life was to be hardworking, quiet, & to respect the white man. But for Louis, being a black man in the late 50s/60s/70s, etc. means taking a stand & forcing the issue. This conflict - which must have occurred for many black families during this time in history - is not shown much in the movies, & Lee Daniels deserves high marks for it.
The casting of the presidents is quite interesting, though, more so on paper than in execution. Robin Williams is effective as Eisenhower, but we see him for only 2 minutes. Liev Schreiber plays Lyndon B. Johnson with relish; and a humorous (if icky) toilet scene is memorable. Alan Rickman & Jane Fonda are disarmingly appealing as the Reagans; though, we only see Fonda for maybe 45 seconds. Best of the bunch is James Marsden who offers a stellar mimicry of JFK. Many critics are panning John Cusack's imitation of Richard Nixon. I actually found the portrayal to be okay, & fairly funny; playing tricky Dick as a ruthless campaigner.
Forest Whitaker imbues Cecil with immense dignity. He's simply fantastic as the inwardly conflicted butler. And it's the kind of performance that can brings tears to your eyes, simply by observing him (i.e., when the 80-something Gaines is about to meet Barack Obama). Through David Oyelowo's beautifully nuanced portrayal, we see & feel Louis' anger at the world; as well as great frustration with his father's passivity. And Oprah reminds us that she is an excellent actress when give the chance. Gloria is not the most consistent character. But Oprah is able to find the humanity, sincerity, frustrations, combustion, & subtlety in her character that the film may not have even asked for. Elijah Kelly (as Cecil's younger, sweet son), Cuba Gooding Jr., & Vanessa Redgrave round-out the great ensemble.
'The Butler' is epic. And because epics cover a large amount of material & span many decades, you're going to have stretches that are better than others. Did we need to see Cecil & Gloria stop at the Macon, Ga. plantation where he grew up? No. Nor did we need scenes btwn. Gloria & Cecil's slimy friend (Terence Howard). And while the White House sequences shows how the dynamics changed from administration to administration ... it' clear that the beating heart of the film lies with Cecil & his family. The father-son conflict provides a stirring parable about growing tensions in the black community as they crawl towards equality. This is a stellar film for & about black people, and yet, the father-son conflict, in particular, reverberates beyond race or politics.
Some years later, he finds work in a ritzy hotel, where he quickly learns the utmost importance of silence, anticipating a customer's wants, & maintaining 2 faces (1 for the whites, & 1 for his kind). This eventually leads to the genial Cecil being offered a butler job at The White House, where he proceeds to serve under Eisenhower (Robin Williams), JFK (James Marsden), Lyndon B. Johnson (Liev Schreiber), Nixon (John Cusack), & on through to Reagan (Alan Rickman). Cecil sees much unrest & discord through those turbulent years (JFK, MLK, & Malcolm X's assassinations, the Vietnam War, the imprisonment of Mandela, etc.).
Alllll the while, his home life is also filled with unrest & discord. His loving wife, Gloria (Oprah Winfrey), is an alcoholic who initially resents the time Cecil devotes to his job. His eldest son, Louis (David Oyelowo), uses Fisk University as a pathway to civil rights activism. Louis' plentiful activities - which mostly involve peaceful protests - still result in him being mortally threatened by the KKK, beaten, & even jailed. After concluding that MLK's Gandhi-like approach won't work, Louis becomes radicalized & falls into the "black power/Black Panther" movement. Melodrama ensues throughout the late 50s/60s/70s/80s as we watch Cecil & his son approach the ever-changing worldviews through different eyes; and the inevitable rift that would come between them because of that.
Director Lee Daniels burst onto the scene in 2009 with the controversial, yet well-received 'Precious'. His 2nd venture was the unsuccessful pulp drama/thriller 'The Paperboy' {which I kinda liked, anyway}. And now this 3rd film of his is the most straightforward of the pack. I can't say that there's a stamp on the proceedings that says THIS is a Lee Daniels movie. Also, some of the plot incidentals in the script come across uneven or scattershot {plenty of "what-the-heck?" moments going on}. And there's little subtlety (sentiment sometimes hits like a sledgehammer). But ... the whole of the film is much greater than its parts. There's a cumulative power to the proceedings. And the performances that Daniels gets from his wide & varied cast are very, very good.
Script flaws aside, the film shines when focusing on Cecil & his sometimes-difficult marriage to Gloria; and especially on the fractious relationship btwn. Cecil & his son Louis, whose differing perspectives on the role of the black man provides a fascinating point of friction. For Cecil, the only way to advance in life was to be hardworking, quiet, & to respect the white man. But for Louis, being a black man in the late 50s/60s/70s, etc. means taking a stand & forcing the issue. This conflict - which must have occurred for many black families during this time in history - is not shown much in the movies, & Lee Daniels deserves high marks for it.
The casting of the presidents is quite interesting, though, more so on paper than in execution. Robin Williams is effective as Eisenhower, but we see him for only 2 minutes. Liev Schreiber plays Lyndon B. Johnson with relish; and a humorous (if icky) toilet scene is memorable. Alan Rickman & Jane Fonda are disarmingly appealing as the Reagans; though, we only see Fonda for maybe 45 seconds. Best of the bunch is James Marsden who offers a stellar mimicry of JFK. Many critics are panning John Cusack's imitation of Richard Nixon. I actually found the portrayal to be okay, & fairly funny; playing tricky Dick as a ruthless campaigner.
Forest Whitaker imbues Cecil with immense dignity. He's simply fantastic as the inwardly conflicted butler. And it's the kind of performance that can brings tears to your eyes, simply by observing him (i.e., when the 80-something Gaines is about to meet Barack Obama). Through David Oyelowo's beautifully nuanced portrayal, we see & feel Louis' anger at the world; as well as great frustration with his father's passivity. And Oprah reminds us that she is an excellent actress when give the chance. Gloria is not the most consistent character. But Oprah is able to find the humanity, sincerity, frustrations, combustion, & subtlety in her character that the film may not have even asked for. Elijah Kelly (as Cecil's younger, sweet son), Cuba Gooding Jr., & Vanessa Redgrave round-out the great ensemble.
'The Butler' is epic. And because epics cover a large amount of material & span many decades, you're going to have stretches that are better than others. Did we need to see Cecil & Gloria stop at the Macon, Ga. plantation where he grew up? No. Nor did we need scenes btwn. Gloria & Cecil's slimy friend (Terence Howard). And while the White House sequences shows how the dynamics changed from administration to administration ... it' clear that the beating heart of the film lies with Cecil & his family. The father-son conflict provides a stirring parable about growing tensions in the black community as they crawl towards equality. This is a stellar film for & about black people, and yet, the father-son conflict, in particular, reverberates beyond race or politics.