Film review: The Help

I had heard a lot about The Help before I finally got around to watching it even though I bought a copy of the book months ago which shamelessly sits on my shelf, brand new and completely unread. I get annoyed if I hear too much about a certain film- it puts me off watching it. One of my favourite things to do is to view a film which I know nothing about- except for maybe the title. I find it exciting to guess and build a picture in my mind, only to be completely corrected when I actually watch the film. Unfortunately, I knew a great deal about the film and had read various reviews beforehand but one Sunday night, I decided that it was time to make my own opinion up about a film that has got somewhat ‘mixed’ reviews.

 

The Help is based on Kathryn Stockett’s best-selling novel and tells the story of racial discrimination in 1960’s Alabama, from the point of view of the help. A young aspiring journalist, named Eugenia Phelan “Skeeter” (played by Emma Stone), is born into a very wealthy family and sits within a friendship group who base their lives around marrying into another wealthy family, having children and then hiring help in the form of African-American maids/nannies. Unlike the women in her social circle, Eugenia is inquisitive, bold and career driven. As an aspiring journalist, she notices the poignant role that the help take in the children’s lives yet the sheer lack of praise and respect for what they do. Eugenia becomes increasingly unsettled with what she is witnessing and decides to write a controversial book from the view of the help. After a struggle, she manages to find a couple of African-American maids, Aibileen (Viola Davis) and Minny (Octavia Spencer), who are willing to share their stories with her. The story is narrated by Aibileen, who is the real protagonist of the film.

The Help is a bit of a whirlwind of emotions. I found myself happy, sad, frustrated, angry and most of all dumbfounded that all of these events were very much real- it really hit home how times have changed. The film follows very simplistic fundamentals of film making and in my opinion they have done a wonderful job. The casting is flawless, the script is well structured and the pacing is good -it never feels slow despite being over two hours! The themes of the film are very obviously spelled out and there’s a very clear definition between who they have positioned as good and who they have positioned as evil.

The characters were casted incredibly well and had me engaged from the word go. The delightful Emma Stone makes for a great lead. Her slightly nerdy nature and outsider qualities really appeal to those of us who have a slightly insecure part of our personalities. In my opinion, the real stars here were Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer who take a couple of rather stereotyped black maids and turn them into strong, bold and aspiring females. I also rather admired Sissy Spacek in her rather cameo role of the old mother of one of Eugenia’s most awful friends.

It is a very thought-provoking film, and although simple and obvious at times, it has really positioned itself well because it appeals to a broad audience. It is very much a woman’s movie however, instead of incorporating the very obvious elements of a chick flick or rom-com, it positions women in a very different light, which I found very refreshing. All of the main characters are women and the film itself is set in a woman’s world, leaving the men in the background of the storylines.

Overall  verdict:

The Help is simple and effective. It manages to educate and inform but in a refreshing way that challenges the normal conventions of films of this genre. I can definitely see what the hype is about and would most definitely recommend it to anyone who was considering giving it a watch.

If you like Forrest Gump, you will love this.

If you like Iron Man, you will probably not like this.

A solid 8.5/10

If this has inspired you, perhaps check out the trailer:

Peace,

O x