The Help (2011)

hyped garbage

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

After watching the full movie in one sitting-- I couldn't help myself but to directly write my thoughts about it. And rarely this happens to me, simply because writing a review for a certain movie would often leave me wondering about what to say about it. However this one, succeeded into making me feel the humor, wonder and closure in one full length film. The Help is as pretty and as lovely as it was engaging for viewers to watch. At first, I didn't really know what to expect, but as the story dived in further, I found myself glued to my seat. Right after, I was informed through the credits that it was based from a novel, which made it all the more exciting. Now, I've gotten myself curious as to how different or similar the book in contrast to the one on screenplay. And to be perfectly honest, if the directors were able to write a screenplay this good, as well as produce a very interesting movie, I think there is a lot more to read about the book. Nonetheless, Emma Stone and the rest of the cast did a wonderful job! And if I must say, if there are any parts of this movie that I've enjoyed the most-- it would be the black american's perspective and the struggle to find strength just to say that one simple word in the face of adversity. "Eat mah sh#$T" Overall: Awesome! Hoping to be able to find more movies like these in the future!

I was worried that The Help was going to be a heavy-handed, one-sided, racially-charged film, but it surprised me. It's full of touching moments and interesting, complex characters. And while I'm happy to see Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain get Oscar nominations, I also think Bryce Dallas Howard does a fantastic job as the villainous Hilly Holbrook. I really liked this movie.

One of the most moving movies of my lifetime - every living person needs to see this movie to at least ground them and make them realise that the world we live in today is not one without struggle.

Stepping out of my usual comfort zone of movies I prefer, action flicks and Westerns, this one was an insightful look into an era in the country's history that is thankfully growing older by the day. It's disturbing to see how members of a minority race were treated at one time. Having grown up in the North, the racism wasn't as blatant, although I recall the 'n' word being used rather casually by adults when I was just a kid. Somehow that just never seemed right to me.The film has it's share of characters that one will immediately come to love and hate. Bryce Dallas Howard's Hilly Holbrook appeared to be the one most likely a caricature of all that was wrong with white employers of house servants during the Sixties South. Not that there couldn't have been real employers like her, but the portrayal in the movie was certainly meant to reflect the worst of the lot. One would also have to concur that what Skeeter Phelan's (Emma Stone) Mom (Allison Janney) did when firing her own maid (Cicely Tyson) was an act of despicable cruelty.The humanity of the black maids is wonderfully portrayed relative to the humor they saw in their daily lives amid some often times dreadful conditions. With a little more work, I think that 'eat my s...' scene could have gone down as one of the classics along side say, Meg Ryan's restaurant scene in "When Harry Met Sally". As it is, there was an awful lot of payback there for Hilly Holbrook's underhanded treatment of the housemaid.Octavia Spencer took a Best Supporting Actress for her role as Minny Jackson, well deserved though one can't help feel that the entire ensemble deserved as much, as recognized by the Screen Actors Guild. And though I've seen Jessica Chastain in other roles, this is the one that would put her in direct contention for portraying Marilyn Monroe should a project like that ever come along. Her resemblance and body language were uncanny.