Fat Dude Digs Flicks

8. THE HELP (written and directed by Tate Taylor; based upon the novel by Kathryn Stockett)

An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African-American maid’s point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis.

The Help is not without its faults. It presents the struggles of an era in a toned done, easier to digest, sugar coated version. Some of the controversies lie in the notion of the “white savior” coming in to save a people from all of their problems. However, the film (and the book from which it is based) has aided in creating a dialogue on race relations in America. The cast of this film, including Emma Stone, Alison Janney, Oscar nominees Jessica Chastain, Octavia Spencer, and Viola Davis, and the legendary Cicely Tyson help elevate the script’s weaknesses to tell a story of friendship, love, and sisterhood in the face of adversity. No, it isn’t perfect, but it is acted perfectly. With a cast possessing this kind of talent and commitment, it is hard not to get caught up in the atmosphere as long as one stays grounded enough to know that the actual Jim Crow era South was much less friendly.