The Help

The Help is very different from recent movies I have seen. First of all, it’s not animated. Second, it didn’t refer to ‘being green’ at all. Lastly, my silent sobbing was totally warranted as dozens of other bloggers I watched the movie with did the same thing.

The movie is not so much about the book but more about the women and the circumstances surrounding its creation. The scene is set in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960s where change, or attempt to change, could cost your life. Yet, three courageous women from very different lives came together to tell the stories that others tried so hard not to acknowledge.

For the first 20 minutes or so the film seemed to move very slowly and much of the important dialogue was inaudible. Things start to pick up when racial segregation leads to violence and a clear demoralizing of human worth.

The PG-13 warning cautions parents of ‘thematic material’ and I think the drama surrounding these events, while based on actual history, was a bit much for my 10-year-old. For example, there is a scene where someone gets hit, though not directly shown. Still, it was enough to make my daughter turn her head and clench my arm. A lot of the featured issues also just went over her head.

While my husband enjoyed the movie for the historical aspect, he still stated that for him it was ‘bearable’. The movie is obviously geared to a primarily female audience.

I thought the way events were portrayed was tastefully done. The costumes were fantastic and the acting was very believable. By the middle of the film I was fully engaged with rapt attention as to what would happen next. ‘The Help’ made me laugh, cry, and everything in between.

It was amazing how well each character was developed and it was easy to get a good sense of what made them the way they were and how they came to form the ideas they had. The power of peer pressure and going against social acceptance played a large part but was not overwhelming to the point that you felt the producers were trying to force their own opinions.

I really enjoyed the movie and look forward to hearing it again!

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Oh Rheally?