Lee Daniels’ The Butler
Legends of entertainment industry, Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey, shine in historical biopic
By Maria NeCastro of www.girlwiththemovieblog.blogspot.com
From “Lincoln” to “Argo” there is no questioning that historical feature films are among some of the most recognized films in our culture.
In “The Butler,” Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker becomes Cecil Gains. The story of Cecil is loosely based on the life of Eugene Allen, an African American butler who served at the White House for 34 years from the 1950s through the 1980s. The film begins with the murder of Cecil’s father on a cotton plantation. When the estate’s caretaker, played by an elderly, spunky Vanessa Redgrave, sees that young Cecil has suddenly lost his father, she takes him into the estate and trains him to become a house servant.
Years go on, as they do in most historical films, and Cecil moves away from the plantation. As a young man, he struggles to find shelter and employment in a society that was yet to be rocked by a civil rights movement. In a time of great need, he stumbles upon the opportunity to work under and learn from an experienced servant, who eventually leads him to a job serving at a Washington D.C. hotel. Whitaker’s performance is enchanting, as he leads the film’s audience through his realization that serving in a time of segregation is a game of anticipating what wealthy white patrons will enjoy.
In a matter of minutes Cecil’s wife, Gloria Gains, the leading lady played by Oprah Winfrey, is introduced and Cecil is hired as a butler at the White House under the Eisenhower administration. From this point on, the film becomes a fascinating whirlwind of Cecil’s experiences as a husband, father, and White House butler.
This movie is nothing less than a top contender for the Academy Awards. What makes the work of director Lee Daniels and writers Danny Strong and Wil Haygood transcend from good to excellent is the context of racial injustice and social upheaval in which they place the story. To bring the issues that were being faced during Cecil’s time of employment to the forefront of the movie, Cecil’s son, Louis Gains, played by David Oyelowo, becomes a social activist.
This film is worth viewing because of the portrayal of White House culture throughout the administrations of Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan contrasting with the lives of the butlers, portrayed by Whitaker, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Lenny Kravitz. The superior storytelling, cinematography, and acting allow it to brilliantly tackle the complexity of Cecil Gains’ life.
Grade: A