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Title: The Help (2011)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Emma Stone | ... | Skeeter Phelan | |
| Viola Davis | ... | Aibileen Clark | |
| Bryce Dallas Howard | ... | Hilly Holbrook | |
| Octavia Spencer | ... | Minny Jackson | |
| Jessica Chastain | ... | Celia Foote | |
| Ahna O'Reilly | ... | Elizabeth Leefolt | |
| Allison Janney | ... | Charlotte Phelan | |
| Anna Camp | ... | Jolene French | |
 |
Eleanor Henry | ... | Mae Mobley |
|
|
Emma Henry | ... | Mae Mobley |
| Chris Lowell | ... | Stuart Whitworth | |
| Cicely Tyson | ... | Constantine Jefferson | |
| Mike Vogel | ... | Johnny Foote | |
| Sissy Spacek | ... | Missus Walters | |
| Brian Kerwin | ... | Robert Phelan | |
Set in Mississippi during the 1960s, Skeeter (Stone) is a southern society girl who returns from college determined to become a writer, but turns her friends' lives -- and a Mississippi town -- upside down when she decides to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent southern families. Aibileen (Davis), Skeeter's best friend's housekeeper, is the first to open up -- to the dismay of her friends in the tight-knit black community. Despite Skeeter's life-long friendships hanging in the balance, she and Aibileen continue their collaboration and soon more women come forward to tell their stories -- and as it turns out, they have a lot to say. Along the way, unlikely friendships are forged and a new sisterhood emerges, but not before everyone in town has a thing or two to say themselves when they become unwittingly -- and unwillingly -- caught up in the changing times. Written by Walt Disney Pictures
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I just returned from seeing a special preview of "The Help," which is due out in theaters this summer.
Okay, so here's the truth: I'm a middle-aged, white male... I didn't read the book and I assumed, based on the fact that this is a virtually an all-female cast, that this was some sort of chick flick. Boy, was I wrong!
This is an incredible film that not only pays justice to the bestseller on which it's based (according to those who have read the book AND seen the film), but is phenomenally cast, with exceptional performances by Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard and Allison Janney. Veteran actresses Sissy Spacek and Cicely Tyson also deliver incredible performances. While Tyson's character is central to the storyline, her role comprises what seems to be a few, precious minutes of the 2:20 running time, she delivers, in my opinion, one of the most powerful and moving moments in the film...one in which she doesn't even utter a line (trust me, you'll know when you see it.)
The Help also delivers some very funny moments and will make you laugh. I'll go so far as to say that this film and a few of its cast members will draw some Oscar nominations. I certainly think this takes Stone into a whole new level.
The racial imbalances of 1963 are well illustrated in "The Help," and will, no doubt, underscore how far America has come, as well as how little progress we've made in the last 50 years. Either way, this is a powerful movie that needs to be seen on the big screen as soon as you can get a ticket.