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All I’m saying is, kindness don’t have no boundaries

Kathryn Stockett, The Help

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////////Film Review////////

Synopsis

Warning: may contain minor explicit content. 

In 1960’s Mississippi, aspiring writer Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan kick-starts her career by working for the Jackson Journal, the local newspaper, filling in for a cleaning advice columnist “Miss Myrna”. Unfortunately, Skeeter didn’t have a single clue about cleaning so she turns to Aibileen Clark, her friend Elizabeth’s black maid, for help.

Skeeter had always been the odd one out in her group of southern privileged, prejudiced girlfriends. She was the only one unmarried, the only one with a job, and unlike them, she had an utmost respect for the colored help. She treated them as equals; didn’t discriminate or look down on them at all as she was raised by one herself - Constantine, their elderly black help who she loved dearly.

By helping her with the Miss Myrna column, Skeeter forms a friendship with Aibileen. While she was over at Elizabeth Leefolt’s asking cleaning advice from Aibileen, they overheard the couple arguing about Elizabeth installing a separate colored’s bathroom outside for their maid, her husband angrily commented “Mae Mobley can go to college in that damn bathroom.” To which Elizabeth defends herself by stating that her best friend, Hilly Holbrook, said that it’d add value to their home and that every penny he spends on a colored’s bathroom he’ll get back in spades when they sell. Hilly is so against the idea of them sharing bathrooms with the help, she claims: “It’s just plain dangerous. They carry different diseases than we do.”

She even goes as far as to draft an initiative named the Home Health Sanitation Initiative, “a disease preventative bill that requires every white home to have a separate bathroom for the colored help.”

Because of this, Skeeter had the idea to write about what it was like to be a colored help in the highly bigoted town of Jackson, Mississippi. Elaine Stein, a literary agent in New York, gives her the green light and and off our little heroine goes.

Aibileen was unsurprisingly hesitant when she was first asked about it since it would put everyone she loved at risk, however, she gives in eventually and helps skeeter with her writing. Skeeter knew what she was getting herself and Aibileen into; she was fully aware that by going through with it she would be going against the law, her family, and her friends but she was ready to shine a light on the racism, discrimination, and mistreatment that’s been going on for ages in their small town.

In the beginning it was only her and Aibileen, until they talked Minny Jackson, Hilly’s headstong maid, into helping them. Soon enough they had at least a dozen colored maids helping them with the book. Sharing stories about the families they were serving, secrets they’ve kept, things they’ve done, things done to them, some were unspeakably gross *cough* Minny *cough* and some were just plain rude.

They weren’t all that bad though, there’s Dr. Dixon, a man who bought 2 acres of land for twice its worth from a racist farmer who threatened to shoot his maid if she stepped foot on his land again, Miss Walters, Hilly’s eccentric mother, and Miss Celia Rae Foote, who is just a “rae” of sunshine. See what I did there? I’m sorry I’ll stop.

The Characters

I thought the characters in this movie were so well thought out. Their names, backstories, the clothes that they wear, their hair, the way they speak, every single one of them had their own distinct personality that made the movie realistic, compelling, and overall work.

It’s funny because Emma stone (Skeeter) and Bryce Dallas Howard (Hilly) both starred in this film as rivals and as you may or may not know, they both starred in the Spider-man films as Gwen Stacy

It is literally the battle of the Gwen Stacys

I gotta say, I applaud Bryce Dallas Howard in this film. It takes a really good actor, or in this case actress, to play a role so well and so convincing that you actually want to kick them in the shin. Her role as Hilly Holbrook is the perfect villain; evil and controlling, she’s especially rude to the maids, even to her own poor mother. I mean, I never thought I’d hate any character as much as Ramsay Bolton from Game of Thrones up until now. She’s one of those villains you love to hate, you know, the kind that have absolutely no redeeming qualities and you feel no remorse towards when they get what they deserve. and little Miss Hilly? Oh, she gets the pie.

Speaking of Hilly Holbrook, can we just take a minute to appreciate her mother, Miss Walters? Miss Walters (played by Sissy Spacek), was one of my favorite characters in the movie. She was sarcastic and funny. Boy, does she know how to have a good laugh. Whenever she brings up the pie prank and rubs it all up on her daughter’s face, the whole room goes completely nuts. We like anybody who socks it to Hilly.

Now Minny Jackson (played by Octavia Spencer), she was a force to be reckoned with. She was a strong woman and she knew it; didn’t take crap from anybody. Not even Hilly Holbrook. I absolutely loved Octavia Spencer as Minny, she nailed every punchline and she had the most iconic line and scene from the entire movie in my opinion, if you’ve seen the movie, then you know exactly what I’m talking about, but if you haven’t, you’ll just have to go see for yourself and find out. *hint: it’s the pie scene*

Another character that I absolutely adored is Celia Foote (played by Jessica Chastain), the delightful woman from sugar ditch. She’s a breath of fresh air. With the whole movie feeling so heavy and disheartening, watching her was like watching the sunrise, seeing the first rays of sunlight rise up slowly from the darkness to shine and give light to everything and everyone. It was so refreshing to see a white woman like herself treat Minny, a colored help, like a friend. Makes you think that all is not lost, it surely restores your faith in humanity. A big round of applause for her husband too, Johnny Foote, for being such a stand up guy.

Of course Viola Davis’ (Aibileen Clark) performance was nothing short of outstanding. Her relationship with little Mae Mobley Leefolt will surely make you go “awww” it’s the cutest yet most tragic thing. It’ll play with your heartstrings and it will most likely put even the strongest grown man named Bob shed a tear. Emma Stone absolutely nailed her role as Skeeter, I love how her accent sounds so natural, it really goes with her voice and her personality as a whole. 

Its Importance 

I cannot stress enough the importance of movies like The Help, as it shines a light on a very serious subject. People tend to forget that this is not just a work of fiction, slavery was very much real and rampant back in the 1950s, even way back in the 1870s and unfortunately, in some places in world, it still is to this day. Just because it’s 2018 doesn’t mean we just forget about what happened. Yes it’s good to let bygones be bygones, but it’s still better to learn and educate ourselves with what actually happened in the past because that’s what some of our ancestors lived through, that was our reality.

No person should require any white female to nurse in wards or rooms in which negro men are placed.

Books shall not be interchangeable between white and colored schools or shall continue to be used by the race first using it. 

No colored barber should serve as a barber to white women or girls. 

Any person printing, publishing, or circulating  written matter urging for public acceptance of social equality between whites and negros is subject to imprisontment. 

Those were the Jim Crow Laws, can you imagine how life must’ve been like during those times? It gives me the shivers just thinking about it. The only thing that scares me even more than Jim Crow, is it happening again. That is why we need movies like these to remind us of how awful slavery was and to be appreciative of the way we live now. 

Overall Thoughts

I thought this movie was absolutely fantastic. It had all the elements that would make up a great movie: its was realistic; not at all exaggerated, it was honest; showed the whole truth, and it was engaging. Not once in those 2 hrs and 26 mins. did I get bored or uninterested. I was always on the edge of my seat, watching in anticipation for what’s next to come, my eyes were practically glued to the screen for the entirety of the movie. I was instantly gripped by the riveting story line and the diversity of the characters. I’d rate it a 4.5/5 stars, yes it’s not perfect, it does have its fair share of flaws but then again what movie doesn’t? If you haven’t seen The Help, I highly recommend that you do, it’s 2 and a half hrs of your life you won’t be able to take back, but they’re surely hours you wont regret.

And remember:

You is kind.

You is smart.

You is important.

- s o u l e n e o u t 

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