The Help

"The Help"
Director: Tate Taylor
Reviewer: Elise Adcock


     "The Help," is a movie about an aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960's. She decides to write about something no one has before; the side of the help. Skeeter, played by Emma Stone, writes about how life as a house maid from their perspective. How they felt raising white babies who weren't their own. How life was working for certain people, including Skeeter's old friends. She writes about the everyday hardships these maids are forced to go through to make barely a dollar a day.
      Set in Mississippi during the 1960s, Skeeter is a southern society girl who returns from college determined to become a writer. When she decides to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent southern families, Aibileen , Skeeter's best friend's housekeeper, is the first to open up. Although Skeeter's life-long friendships were hanging by a thread, she and Aibileen continue sharing their stories and soon more of the maids come forward to tell their stories. Her story is published and is one of the biggest milestones in history. Skeeter has everyone is reading it.
     I wouldn't say there is one role in the movie that I found unnecessary or under-played. The role of Skeeter was one of my favorite. Emma Stone, who plays Skeeter. was my favorite role in the movie. She is one of my favorite actresses and she really pulled off the role to the best of her abilities. Aibileen, played by Viola Davis, was also a portrayed in such a convincing way. She had me in tears at some points as her stories were told. Davis was a very heartwarming character and had huge impact on me.
     Hilly Holbrook, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, was a very nasty, awful character. She was such an awful character that I started to hate her. When I realized I hated her, I noticed how great of an actress she was. I wouldn't hate her if she didn't convince me that she was actually that disgusting and racist of a person. If I saw her on the street, I wouldn't think twice about spitting on her. She did a very good job of portraying the racism and cruelty forced onto the colored people during the 1960's. I felt the pains of maids because I was becoming offended by her harsh and rude remarks. She was a very convincing role and gave me a lot of perspective on how life really was in these times.
     I've always loved this movie since the first time I watched it. "The Help," is such a worth while movie, and the time-consumption is worth it once the movie is over. I always found a reason to watch the 2 and 1/2 hour movie over and over again. If I could recommend this to anyone, I would to everyone! 
Rate: 9.8/10