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The Butler

The Butler (2013)

August. 16,2013
|
7.2
|
PG-13
| Drama

A look at the life of Cecil Gaines who served eight presidents as the White House's head butler from 1952 to 1986, and had a unique front-row seat as political and racial history was made.

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Reviews

VividSimon
2013/08/16

Simply Perfect

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Platicsco
2013/08/17

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

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Noutions
2013/08/18

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

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Huievest
2013/08/19

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

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Lance E Sloan (lsloan-imdb-com)
2013/08/20

This film, which tries to be a view of history from the perspective of one man, fails because it is very much historically inaccurate. By negating the film's primary purpose, it detracts from all other aspects of the film. It's difficult to evaluate the quality of the acting and the casting because the premise of the film is insultingly fictional.

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ceilidhm
2013/08/21

Not a fan of oprah or Mariah Carey but - phenomenal movie!!!! It got snubbed by oscars. As a history buff, I love this. But as a movie goer I LOVED this! Great casting. Great acting. Fantastic all around.

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asus-kybd
2013/08/22

I think it was better than Hidden Figures because it focused more on world events rather than why Dorothy can't become a NASA supervisor or Katherine can't use the NASA "white ladies restroom". If indeed you could shoot a black man in the head in front of his kid in 1929, that also surprised me! I lived in Macon for a year, that town is about 80% black. So I don't know if that could be done then but most cops there are black now. I found it odd to read a review by a 63 yr. old men who was shocked by the film, as if he never knew all this stuff went on. Of course, what did they teach in high school social studies, BAKING? This film covered far more than Hidden Figures and explored multi-generational racial struggles within the USA from 1929 onward, from the aspect of Cecile's family. They did overlook the Rosa Parks "back of the bus" story but covered Kennedy and King's assassination, then the rise of the Black Panthers plus a Whitehouse agenda cooked up by then VP Richard Nixon (John Cusack) to deal with them. That was a fact I was not familiar with. I also noticed the dissension between father and son over the son's goal to fight racism and the costs to the family that fight brought them. The important turning point for Cecile was walking away from his butler career and reconciling with his kid. They did not mention whether this was based on a true story but I don't recall any noteworthy Whitehouse butler with this kind of history on public record.If you like films like "Jackie" or "LBJ" you'll be cool with this.

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Ashley W
2013/08/23

The film, The Butler, showcases the life and times of Cecil Gaines (Forest Whittaker), a butler that served numerous US Presidents, and his family. Set in the 1920's post slavery South, the screenplay is loosely based on the real life of Eugene Allen, a man that served over thirty years as a butler in the White House. Beginning when Cecil was a child, viewers are shown a young precocious child that is loved and adored by his parents Hattie (Mariah Carey) and Earl (David Banner). After his mother is assaulted and his father is killed in cold blood, by her son, Thomas (Alex Pettyfer), Cecil is "taken in" by Annabeth Westfall (Vanessa Redgrave) and trained to serve in the house as opposed to working in the fields. Upon coming of age, Cecil starts his journey north with dreams of a better life. Along the way he encounters Maynard (Clarence Williams) after breaking into an establishment to steal food to eat. This chance encounter turns out to be life changing for Cecil as Maynard teaches him how to serve to high end clientele. Through Maynard's guidance and teaching, Cecil made the move to Washington D.C. which become his longtime home. While serving at a restaurant in Washington, Cecil met his future wife Gloria (Oprah Winfrey). He was recognized for his extreme work ethic and service and was offered a position with the White House where he stayed until retirement. Gloria and Cecil married and had two children, Louis (David Oyelowo) and Charlie (Elijah Kelley). Louis, while seeing the injustices that his father and others faced simply based off of the color of their skin, used that same work ethic that was instilled in him from his father, to combat social injustices in his own way, with the Freedom Riders, the Black Panther Movement and later through legislature and activism. Cecil worked extremely hard to not only advance but to also provide for his family. His work ethic proved successful when he was offered a position at the White House as a butler. This position allowed him to see a whole new world. Working at the White House was quite the opposite of working in the fields with sharecroppers as Cecil had done in his earlier years. Cecil's work ethic, however strong, also proved to be a detriment to his family life. While his intention was to provide a stable environment for his wife and children, he in turn alienated them and shielded himself from any emotion upholding his professional stance both at home and in the workplace. Due to this alienation, Gloria turned to alcohol to soothe her sorrows. She became distant and angry because she was longing for affection and support from her hardworking husband. Lee Daniels, the director of the film, does an excellent job of showcasing Gloria's ups and downs by using different lighting techniques and panning to emphasize her pain. For example, when Gloria is drinking, the lighting tends to be dark and the camera is showing her face close up. Viewers can see the pain in her eyes as well as how the drinking is affecting her. When Gloria is not drinking and is happy, the camera is usually pulled back to show her completely in her element. Whether that may be dancing around to music with friends or even a simple task of sewing. These techniques emotionally draw the viewer into the scene. Louis, Cecil's oldest son had the same tenacity and work ethic as his father but he chose to showcase his efforts in a different way. He chose to fight for human rights as this was most important to him. His father failed to see that same qualities in his son. He viewed his son's activism as defiance and a slight to the future that he intended for him. This begs the question, what is the true meaning of success? While this film showcases the will to and the price of success, viewers may find themselves asking what does success mean to an individual? How does one measure these accomplishments? Does success mean recognition from peers or having a successful family life? A strong work ethic can be beneficial in so many ways but if one fails to realize the accomplishments they've made along the way then the work ethic may not be as important after all.

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