There was a rather interesting bit of controversy
surrounding this film before it came out. A few months ago, Warner Bros had
filed a claim with the MPAA for this film to be renamed because they had made a
movie that was also named ‘The Butler’… a short film from 1916 which, as far as
I know, not many people know about. In other words, this will easily go down as
one of the most pointless ‘renaming’ cases in the history of Hollywood. But, in
the end, the MPAA did implement a title change and the film’s current title is ‘Lee
Daniels’ The Butler’. So, if you think that director Lee Daniels is being
pretentious by having his name in the title, there was nothing he could really
do about it. But as for the film itself, ‘The Butler’ (for the record, I will
be referring to it by that name throughout this review) is a top-notch
historical drama with excellent performances all around and for also doing a
great job at focusing on certain aspects of the history of our country, namely
the Civil Rights Movement.
The film is loosely based on the life of Eugene Allen, who
had served as a butler in the White House from 1952 to 1986. However, the movie
centers on a fictional character, Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker), who grew up
on a cotton farm. After the farm’s owner (Alex Pettyfer) shoots his father
(David Banner), Cecil is hired as a house servant by the farm’s caretaker
(Vanessa Redgrave) and years later, his experience as a servant ultimately
lands him a job at the White House. Over the years, Cecil serves for multiple
presidents, from Dwight D. Eisenhower (Robin Williams) to John F. Kennedy
(James Marsden) to Richard Nixon (John Cusack) and becomes an eyewitness to key
events in American history, including the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam
War. While all of this is going on, Cecil’s oldest son Louis (David Oyelowo)
finds himself right in the center of most of these events and a conflict
emerges between the two because of their differing ideologies.
The main reason why the film works so well is because it
doesn’t feel romanticized. Other recent films centered around
African-Americans, including ‘Red Tails’ and ‘42’, didn’t really delve into some
of the struggles their characters went through, even though it’s clear that the
films showed much respect for them. This film does do that, and key events of
the Civil Rights Movement, including Martin Luther King Jr.’s role in the
movement and the controversial Black Panther party, are shown and we see how it
affects the main characters. Not only that, but we get to see the events from
two different perspectives. We see them through the eyes of Cecil, as he
quietly works for the Presidents, and his son Louis, who is usually at the
frontlines of these events. Because of this, there’s an interesting dynamic
contrast between the two; Cecil is worried about his son getting killed while
Louis is keen on being involved with the Civil Rights movement. Both characters
are very compelling because of that.
The film also benefits from a terrific cast, and this is
quite a big ensemble cast. Forest Whitaker gives one of the best performances of
his career as Cecil, effectively carrying the movie on his back. Oprah Winfrey,
who plays Cecil’s wife Gloria, and David Oyelowo give excellent performances as
well. The three of them succeed at making their characters feel real, even if
they are only fictional characters (in a story inspired by a real-life person).
The supporting cast is also great as well, including Cuba Gooding Jr. and Lenny
Kravitz as two of Cecil’s co-workers in the White House. While I have heard
some doubt over the actors portraying the Presidents, each of them did a very
good job. If I have to choose the best out of them, it would have to be a tie
between James Marsden as Kennedy and Alan Rickman as Ronald Reagan (even though
apparently the way they portray him in the movie wasn’t like how he was in real
life).
‘The Butler’ is easily one of the best movies of the year,
and I won’t be surprised if this film gets a couple of Oscar nominations
(especially Forest Whitaker for Best Actor) for next year’s ceremony. Whitaker
is outstanding in this film, and is also backed a terrific supporting cast,
from Oprah to the actors who portrayed the Presidents. But aside from its cast,
the film also works so well because, compared to other recent African-American
centered films, it didn’t feel romanticized and did a great job of focusing on
key moments and the struggles that the main characters went through, especially
with the dynamic between Cecil and his son and the contrast of their
ideologies. Many people might find similarities to ‘Forrest Gump’ and I’d say
this film is just as good as that 1994 classic.
Rating: 4.5/5
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