The idea of a period drama about a repressed ethnic group is usually the first sign of Oscar bait. I find that most period dramas distinguish themselves with others through the strength of the cast. Mainly because with period dramas, one can usually determine the outcome of the stories with relative ease and there’s only so many ways a director can make a period drama stylish. There are only so many endings to stories about an African American woman in the 1950s. The same can be said about most period dramas, given because they’re based on historical fact. In The Help, the incredibly strong cast and a touching script drove it home and may be one of the more emotional movies I’ve seen this year.
Aibileene Clark (Viola Davis) and Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer) are one of the dozens of African American maids working in Jackson, Alabama for white families in 1950s America during the peak of the Civil Rights movement. Being in the south, new ideas and racial equality haven’t necessarily reached them, so much to the point ‘The Help’ are even punished if they use the same toilets as their employers. When Skeeter Phelan (Emma Stone), an ambitious young journalist, wants to write their story, Aibileene and Minny are reluctant at first, but the increasing tensions of the Civil Rights movements slowly change their minds.
Delciously uncomfortable and touching
As I stated earlier, this movie is carried heavily by its strong cast. Davis’s role as the narrator and leading lady hits all the high points and carries majority of the emotional burden. Spencer’s role as Minny, provides a degree of comic relief, but there is much more complexity in her role and she delivers satisfying redemption by the end of the movie. Stone’s Skeeter provides the usual and likable Stone charm she’s delivered in so many of her movies, it’s almost impossible not to like her. The movie’s three leads all have wonderful chemistry together and can all hold their own in the film’s most emotionally crux moments. The rest of the supporting cast does their part as well, such as Jessica Chastain and Bryce Dallas Howard, but none deliver as much punch as the leading ladies.
1950s America was truly a difficult time and there are a number of movies and books that try to capture the changing and radical times of that era. Like all period dramas, the historical undertones are the main driving force of the story in this movie. Conflict between blacks and whites are brought up from the very beginning and it’s very quick to realize what time period we’re dealing with here. While I didn’t believe that this movie represented some of the more disgusting aspects of the cruelty during this time, I don’t think that was director Tate Taylor’s purpose. Instead of the images of attack dogs, bar sit-ins, and the bus stop rallies I’ve usually affiliated with the Civil Rights movement, this was a story on a more personal and closer to home level. This movie truly benefits as a period drama as it opened my eyes to the lifestyle and culture of the 1950s America for both Blacks and Whites during that time.
People I want to punch in the face
With the undertone and the characters set, all that’s truly left is the story itself. I brought up previously that we were given insight to both black and white culture, and while the black culture was obviously portrayed through Minny and Aibileene, we’re able to get a look into white culture through Skeeter and her peers. There’s plenty of 1950s flair hidden throughout the movie and does a really good job in telling us the time period we’re set in, ranging from soda pops to home layouts. All three of these characters faced their own issues and stories, whether it be Minny’s dealings with Dallas’s character, Davis’s connection with her ‘baby’, or Skeeter’s issues back home, it’s great to see all of their stories intertwined together and the historical undertones that set them in motion. While the drama was compelling and getting to the climax was fun, I did however feel as though the movie ended rather abruptly. It sort of felt as by the time we got to the climax, the fourth and fifth acts were done in about 10-30 minutes. This doesn’t necessarily meant the movie didn’t get closure, but perhaps maybe something more drawn out could’ve provided something better. Not only was this a feel good movie, it also maintained an emotional punch that tugged not one, but two heart strings by the time it was finished.
All in all, The Help was a satisfying period drama that holds up above others largely in thanks to its fantastic cast. It’s difficult for me to decide which of its talented leads truly deserves the Oscar nod, because I love all three of them so much. But in all truth, Viola Davis probably deserves it the most given her solid performance. So go see The Help, because I guarantee you won’t regret it.
4/5 Stars
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