The Help (2011)

Written by: Tate Taylor (screenplay), Kathryn Stockett (novel)
Directed by: Tate Taylor
Starring: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, and Octavia Spencer
Reviewer: Brett Gallman

“These women raise white children--we love them, and they love us--but they can't even use the toilets in our houses.”

Reviewer's Rating: *** (Three Stars)

In 1960s Jackson Mississippi, African-American maids (the titular help) are still subject to segregation, right down to the houses they serve, as they’re not even allowed to use the white families’ bathrooms. That’s just one of many travesties that no one ever wants to hear about until newly-graduated Skeeter (Emma Stone) decides it needs to be told, so she teams with Aibileen (Viola Davis) and Minny (Octavia Spencer) to write a book. The film paints in broad strokes and presents a sometimes quaint view of difficult times, as it’s presented with the warmth and humor that 40 years of distance can provide, perhaps. It comes close to portraying a cartoon world, as much of the supporting cast are a bit exaggerated, almost to the point of caricature. For example, villainess Bryce Dallas Howard is practically the wicked witch, a snooty southern belle who is callous not only to the help, but anyone she deems below her.

However, the main thrust of the film--the developing relationship between Skeeter and the disenfranchised African American community--is very genuine. Mixing both laughs and poignancy, it becomes a triumphant tale of courage, generational redemption (a story involving the maid that raised Skeeter herself is deeply affecting), and understanding. Most importantly, its raucous laughs never drown out the fact that these people have been robbed of both their dignity and their own lives. Despite its historical purview, The Help is also a story about self-discovery. In a sense, many of the characters (black and white alike) are trapped--the agonizing over Skeeter’s impending spinsterhood (she’s 23 and has never dated--the horror!) reminds us that she, too, suffers from certain societal constraints.

Though it is sometimes pandering, obvious (many scenes are seemingly wringed for maximum tearjerk), and safe, The Help is a finely acted (this solidifies Emma Stone’s star status), moving film. I especially liked its insistence that small acts (such as a seat at the dinner table) can initiate change, even if such insistence comes in a feel-good story that's been wedged into a sad chapter in history.

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