An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African American maids' point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis.
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
When Skeeter is writing at her desk, one of the books on her shelf is Richard Wright's novel "Native Son." Towards the beginning of the movie, Skeeter's naiveté is exhibited through her well-intended but potentially harmful acts of kindness towards and interactions with black people in her community. This is very reminiscent of Mary Dalton's treatment towards Bigger Thomas in Wright's novel. See more »
Goofs
Hilly's husband jolts awake in bed a second before Hilly starts screaming. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Aibileen Clark:
I was born 1911, Chicksaw County, Piedmont Plantation.
Woman:
And did you know as a girl growing up that one day you'd be a maid?
Aibileen Clark:
Yes ma'am, I did.
Woman:
And you knew that because...
Aibileen Clark:
My mama was a maid. My grandmama was a house slave.
Woman:
[whispering as she writes down]
"house slave..." Did you ever dream of being something else?
Aibileen Clark:
[nods yes]
Woman:
What does it feel like to raise a white child when your own child's at home being looked after by somebody else?
See more »
This movie will hold a special glue to anyone who has been a Gone With The Wind fan , for the rest it just might simulate them to revisit those history lessons . The film is brilliantly cast , there being not a single dull moment. The film revolves around three very different women who form an unlikely friendship in their quest for a common goal. It is much more then just being about the state of events in the 1950s at the South .Its a portrayal of a waning tradition that still grips the peninsula even after a century of the Civil War which was fought to abolish the exact same custom. It raises serious issues - demarcation of people based on skin color , making another human being walk in incessant rain rather than allowing her(it?) to use one's own bathroom , makes us reflect that we still aren't very far along the vicious prejudice. The movie also touches upon how the untarnished mind of a child is capable to love the same person he would grow up to walk all over on, of how society can be a venomous influence in conditioning the brain on so much discrimination. In the end it also hints that even after being subjected to centuries of venom , the heart still has the capability to love, that there is still hope for all of us.
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This movie will hold a special glue to anyone who has been a Gone With The Wind fan , for the rest it just might simulate them to revisit those history lessons . The film is brilliantly cast , there being not a single dull moment. The film revolves around three very different women who form an unlikely friendship in their quest for a common goal. It is much more then just being about the state of events in the 1950s at the South .Its a portrayal of a waning tradition that still grips the peninsula even after a century of the Civil War which was fought to abolish the exact same custom. It raises serious issues - demarcation of people based on skin color , making another human being walk in incessant rain rather than allowing her(it?) to use one's own bathroom , makes us reflect that we still aren't very far along the vicious prejudice. The movie also touches upon how the untarnished mind of a child is capable to love the same person he would grow up to walk all over on, of how society can be a venomous influence in conditioning the brain on so much discrimination. In the end it also hints that even after being subjected to centuries of venom , the heart still has the capability to love, that there is still hope for all of us.