Went to see this film with my friend A this week.
IMDB says: As Cecil Gaines serves eight presidents during his tenure as a butler at the White House, the civil rights movement, Vietnam, and other major events affect this man's life, family, and American society.
Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland, Platoon) stars as Cecil Gaines and we follow his story through losing his father on the Cotton Fields of the American South, to working his way from being a house slave and eventually becoming a butler in the White House.
Oprah Winfrey (The Color Purple, Beloved) plays his wife Gloria and his grown-up sons Louis (played by David Oyelowo of The Help, Jack Reacher) and Charlie (played by Elijah Kelley of Hairspray, Red Tails). Mariah Carey (Oz the Great and Powerful, Rush Hour) is seen briefly playing Cecil's mother Hattie and David Banner (Footloose, Street Kings) his father Earl, who is murdered by his slave owner Westfall.
I was amazed by the transformation of Alan Rickman (Die Hard, Harry Potter movies) as Ronald Reagan and Jane Fonda (Barbarella, 9-5) as Nancy Reagan. Robin Williams (Good Morning Vietnam, Dead Poet's Society) as Eisenhower, James Marsden (X-Men 1 & 2, Enchanted) as Kennedy and John Cusack (Being John Malvovich, 2012) as Nixon were not as convincing.
The history of the civil rights movement played out through his eldest son, was powerful and was what made the film for me. It is shocking to think that not so very long ago, there was segregation and hatred on such a scale in America.
A brief turn by Vanessa Redgrave (Howards End, Mission: Impossible) as Annabeth Westfall was poignant but the storyline with an adulterous Terrence Howard (Prisoners, Iron Man) as Howard, Cecil's friend and neighbour, seemed superfluous to the plot and for me, not enough was made of the fine actors Lenny Kravitz (The Hunger Games, Precious) and Cuba Gooding Jr (Jerry Maguire, Men of Honour) in the White House scenes.
This was a good film, but I felt it lost a little due to being released at the same time as 12 Years a Slave.
Tagline: One quiet voice can ignite a revolution. 6.5/10
#TheButler
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