"The Help"... preventing the "Mississippi in the 60's" drama from hanging itself.
"The Help" centers around a young college grad played by Emma Stone. She is yearning to break free from the confines of generations of Southern White Women: be the subservient wife, keep a nice house, and raise good 'ole boy children. Skeeter Phelan has a dream. She's not quite sure what form it will take, but she knows that she wants to be a writer; so when she lands a job writing a housewives' column for the local newspaper she is elated.
there is simply one problem, however. In this turn of the society era of the deep south, the reason they NEED housewives' column is because none of the matriarchs know how to do any of the housework. they have relied on 'the help' for decades after reconstruction and Skeeter herself has no idea where to start. Cue the entrance of all of the maids, nanny's and other such 'help' integral to the daily life of the deep south.
Skeeter enlists their help writing her column, but as she views it more and more, she is appalled by the treatment of these women, and mostly under the harsh whip of her old friends and other families of her social standing. She goes further, will these women share their stories as 'The Help': from having to use separate bathrooms to being the true mothers to the little boys and girls of the white upper crust society.
Well, of course, after much plot and hand wringing, they agree.
This film, overall, was a smattering of hits and misses.
First, things I loved about it: the cast, the characters and the portrayals. Where to begin... how about with Jessica Chastain? She is wonderful as the white trash southern hick herself elevated but also ostracized from the old guard as usual. Bryce Dallas Howard as the queen bee southern bell is deliciously horrible and Emma Stone is the perfect 'girl next door' foil between the two. Viola Davis is commanding and heart warming as Abileen, the first and foremost help to Skeeter. Octavia Spencer, Ahna O'Reilly, Allison Janney and Sissy Spacek round out the top notch cast.
I also loved the fact that the filmmakers tried to take heavy material and lift it to a place where most films about the south in the 1960's don't go: light and fun. I kept thinking of "Mississippi Burning" as I watched "The Help" and reminded myself how thankful I was for the bright airy colors of Jessica's hair rather than the doleful tones of Willem Dafoe.
But there are many problems with this approach and the storytelling. The two major storytelling 'misses' are the boyfriend of Skeeter, Stuart Whitworth, played by Chris Lowell. What a waste, may I just say. Pointless at best. Honestly, pointless. Then the fact that Chastain's character and her black (what word am I supposed to use these days?) 'help' played with glee by Octavia Spencer become such good friends. I have observed that the typical reaction of the 'low on the totem' whites is that 'at least I'm not THEM'. This friendship, though fun to watch and a wonderful heartwarming element of the film, is a stretch at best in actuality.
The two greatest misses, however, in my opinion were in the parallel meant to be drawn between Skeeter and Aibileen. Skeeter was basically raised by her nanny Constantine (played for a cameo by Cicely Tyson) who was unceremoniously dismissed by her family after over 20 years while Skeeter was away in college. Meanwhile, Aibileen is the clear mother figure for O'Reilly's character's daughter-- and by the end, her unceremonious dismissal is all but assured.
The Constantine end was so ham-handed the filmmaker, Tate Taylor (both writer and director), missed a great opportunity with the plot device. Meanwhile, Aibileen's story was so subtle it was nearly perfect and perfectly missed. By the time it came around we had had almost four different fake endings we we almost asleep before the best of them came along--
Which leads me to the second greatest miss: the EDITOR. This was a possibly great film in need of an editor come around the 90 minute mark. All the brilliance built to that point was woefully wasted by over long departures, too many false finishes and melodramatic sweet tie-ups. The 'are you sure you really GET what we're trying to say' point by Taylor just made me feel like a hammer was constantly bludgeoned over my head.. something that HADN'T been done to that point. It almost felt like a perfect meal worked on all day and then forgotten at the stove... just ten minutes too long-- but by then the brilliance and the work was burned and utterly useless by the end.
Overall, I would still recommend 'The Help', just know, that though you won't need your Encyclopedia Brittanica (like most 1960's Southern Dramas) handy (or your iPhone's google) you will need a little assistance navigating the remote as you fast forward through the final 20 minutes.
OH and P.S.: vote Chastain for best supporting actress... I have my reasons! (go Jessica!)
there is simply one problem, however. In this turn of the society era of the deep south, the reason they NEED housewives' column is because none of the matriarchs know how to do any of the housework. they have relied on 'the help' for decades after reconstruction and Skeeter herself has no idea where to start. Cue the entrance of all of the maids, nanny's and other such 'help' integral to the daily life of the deep south.
Skeeter enlists their help writing her column, but as she views it more and more, she is appalled by the treatment of these women, and mostly under the harsh whip of her old friends and other families of her social standing. She goes further, will these women share their stories as 'The Help': from having to use separate bathrooms to being the true mothers to the little boys and girls of the white upper crust society.
Well, of course, after much plot and hand wringing, they agree.
This film, overall, was a smattering of hits and misses.
First, things I loved about it: the cast, the characters and the portrayals. Where to begin... how about with Jessica Chastain? She is wonderful as the white trash southern hick herself elevated but also ostracized from the old guard as usual. Bryce Dallas Howard as the queen bee southern bell is deliciously horrible and Emma Stone is the perfect 'girl next door' foil between the two. Viola Davis is commanding and heart warming as Abileen, the first and foremost help to Skeeter. Octavia Spencer, Ahna O'Reilly, Allison Janney and Sissy Spacek round out the top notch cast.
I also loved the fact that the filmmakers tried to take heavy material and lift it to a place where most films about the south in the 1960's don't go: light and fun. I kept thinking of "Mississippi Burning" as I watched "The Help" and reminded myself how thankful I was for the bright airy colors of Jessica's hair rather than the doleful tones of Willem Dafoe.
But there are many problems with this approach and the storytelling. The two major storytelling 'misses' are the boyfriend of Skeeter, Stuart Whitworth, played by Chris Lowell. What a waste, may I just say. Pointless at best. Honestly, pointless. Then the fact that Chastain's character and her black (what word am I supposed to use these days?) 'help' played with glee by Octavia Spencer become such good friends. I have observed that the typical reaction of the 'low on the totem' whites is that 'at least I'm not THEM'. This friendship, though fun to watch and a wonderful heartwarming element of the film, is a stretch at best in actuality.
The two greatest misses, however, in my opinion were in the parallel meant to be drawn between Skeeter and Aibileen. Skeeter was basically raised by her nanny Constantine (played for a cameo by Cicely Tyson) who was unceremoniously dismissed by her family after over 20 years while Skeeter was away in college. Meanwhile, Aibileen is the clear mother figure for O'Reilly's character's daughter-- and by the end, her unceremonious dismissal is all but assured.
The Constantine end was so ham-handed the filmmaker, Tate Taylor (both writer and director), missed a great opportunity with the plot device. Meanwhile, Aibileen's story was so subtle it was nearly perfect and perfectly missed. By the time it came around we had had almost four different fake endings we we almost asleep before the best of them came along--
Which leads me to the second greatest miss: the EDITOR. This was a possibly great film in need of an editor come around the 90 minute mark. All the brilliance built to that point was woefully wasted by over long departures, too many false finishes and melodramatic sweet tie-ups. The 'are you sure you really GET what we're trying to say' point by Taylor just made me feel like a hammer was constantly bludgeoned over my head.. something that HADN'T been done to that point. It almost felt like a perfect meal worked on all day and then forgotten at the stove... just ten minutes too long-- but by then the brilliance and the work was burned and utterly useless by the end.
Overall, I would still recommend 'The Help', just know, that though you won't need your Encyclopedia Brittanica (like most 1960's Southern Dramas) handy (or your iPhone's google) you will need a little assistance navigating the remote as you fast forward through the final 20 minutes.
OH and P.S.: vote Chastain for best supporting actress... I have my reasons! (go Jessica!)
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