The Help (2011)

Positives: Some convincing acting Some beautiful scenery and wardrobe Some positive messages / uplifting Gets the viewer thinking about an important topic - I'm only in my twenties and didn't know that black women played such a large role in raising white children - has led me to talk to older individuals about what they knew about this happeningNegatives: Some parts weren't integrated enough / so many characters and story lines - I felt like the part with Stuart wasn't carried out well and it should have been worked into the movie differently - because he hadn't been on the screen or mentioned in so long, the breakup scene seemed unbelievable to me Not sure how well it represents history - the main black women in the movie were made to look really large and not pretty at points like when they were shown in the grocery store

The most disappointing part about this film is that although its based around real life events it isn't a true story. There are parts that are so satisfying you can't help but wish it really happened. At its heart this is a film about human relationships and the intense bonds that are formed when people face adversity. It's a very emotionally driven film and pushes you from feeling anger, to sadness, with some delightful and even funny moments in between. The acting throughout was top notch. I particularly enjoyed the performances from Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer both played their characters perfectly. It's an ideal film for modern audiences through its combination of historical events, drama and connection to current issues. Making it an engaging film for people of all ages and walks of life. Seeing how much society has changed from the times depicted in this film you can't help but wonder what needs to happen to cause the changes we currently are in desperate need of. Also giving you a sense of hope that no matter how bad it gets humans care enough about one another to stick together and see it through

My wife read this book for a college class and she loved it. The I told her my mom had the movie and she wanted to watch it after she read the book. She invited me to watch it with her, and I have to say I loved it from start to finish.This is a story about prejudice, hate, anger, love, sadness, courage, and doing the right thing. It takes place in the south during 1960 a time of racism and violence, a time when Martin Luther King Jr did his famous march for African American rights. A time when blacks were still considered the lowest of the low. The story is about two African American women and a white writer, together they collect stories about how abusive, rude, and cruel the white society of the south really could be. I am a big history buff, and I know of the times of the 1960's. This movie rings true to everything that went on in the south during this time. Having had parents that grew up during this time but not in the south they knew of this. The reason it is called the help is because it is about a group of African American house keepers the serve high white southern society, who basically raise their children for them because their mothers are to busy with social matters. As I watched the film it struck me hard, how could these mothers just abandon their children? These African American women basically raise them and these children look to them as mothers and caretakers, and when they leave or get fired these children miss them so much. The white writer who is played well by Emma Stone was basically raised by one, and is planning to write a book about these caretakers stories. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will cheer when good things come about. I loved the character Minnie and her sassyness and attitude she was my favorite character, though I liked all of them, I didn't like Bryce Dallas Howard's character Hilly, she was a stuck up, rude, snobbish, evil character who disgusted me throughout the entire movie. You cheer inside when the good characters triumph over her. This film also will open your eyes to what really went on during the south during the civil rights movement. For my generation I do believe this film needs to be watched and understood and after watching this movie I started asking my parents who were just barely teenagers at this time lots and lots of questions. And I also want to read the book. Racism still goes on today though not as big as it was back then. I invite you to watch this movie, your eyes will be opened and you will enjoy it too. You will get an appreciation that we are all people and that You is kind, You is smart, and You is important. 10/10 for The Help

THE HELP is one of those feel-good Hollywood productions that always makes me feel cold inside instead. The sentimentality is overbearing and the shrill performances extremely off-putting to this viewer, with Bryce Dallas Howard and Jessica Chastain making me want to switch off every time while they're on screen. The film seems to have been made to assuage white guilt and looks at the plight of black maids in the American South during the 1960s, where they were regularly bullied and treated as lessers during the civil rights era. Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer give well judged performances but the story feels padded out and lifeless at times; it really didn't need to be two and a half hours long. Emma Stone's grating character gets too much screen time and seems a bit dim while the decent into bad taste humour at one point is something I couldn't forgive or come back from.