Lee Daniels' the Butler

I enjoy biographies a lot.  One of the things that has struck me in reading biographies of some of my heroes like Ray Charles, John Coltrane and even Jimi Hendrix is how they had to suffer several injustices simply because they were black.  

Lee Daniel's The Butler, places his hero Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker) against the turbulent back drop of the civil rights movement in the United States.  In some ways, the film struck me as a serious Forest Gump.  The film uses actual news footage from our not very pretty history of race relations in the United States.

The Butler combined three stories in one.  We get the story of Cecil Gaines (although inspired by a real life butler in the White House, I understand that this work really is fiction).  We also have the story of how blacks have slowly gained civl rights in the US as women did in the 20's and gay people are struggling for now.  Finally, we have the oft told tale of the prodigal son.   While Cecil works in solemn peaceful service in the White House, his son Louis (David Oyelowo) is right in the thick of the black civil rights movement.  Cecil clearly wants equal rights for blacks, but does not want to see his son hurt, arrested or possibly killed by his direct involvement for civil rights.  All three stories are well done, and pack a very emotional whollop.  While I tend to think of the sixties as a time of Hendrix, The Doors and The Beatles, this film clearly reminds me that the 60's were a time of turbulence, Vietnam, and heated race relations.

Cecil Gaines - The Butler

Cecil was born on a cotton plantation and lost his family there. His father was murdered and his mother lost her mind after an assault by one of the plantation owners. Cecil runs away and is taken in at a hotel after stealing a cake from the display window in front. He learns the role of a butler, and soon we cut to a grown up young man working at a presitious hotel in Washington D.C.   I have to say one of the best points of this film is the outstanding acting by Forest Whitaker.  He truly is an amazing actor. I have seen him play the cruel Ugandan Dictator Idi Amin as well as the gifted saxophonist, Charlie 'Bird" Parker.  Whitaker shines here in his quiet dignity serving 8 presidents of the United States, and keeping his thoughts to himself as each in turn addresses issues directly relevant to himself, his family and blacks throughout the U.S.  His acting remains spot on with his family as both a husband to Gloria (Oprah Winfrey) and father to Louis and Charlie.   We can see all sides of him or as the film calls it, his two faces, one for his friends and family and the other for the white people.  Whitaker is outstanding.

I also thought that Oprah Winfrey did an excellent job as his often neglected wife Gloria. While Cecil was at the White House working long hours she frequently stayed at home with only her alcohol to keep her company as news of the day hit home. David Oyelowo was great as the prodigal son, Louis. We watch him transform into an angry young man to a Freedom rider, a Black Panther and then into a congressman.

One of the films most powerful family scenes was when Louis comes home after years in the thick of the civl rights movement. He has his militant look replete with black beret.   His girlfrend Gina (Adriane Lennox) has transformed from a young idealistic college girl into a lean muscular Black Panther herself with a huge afro.   The family dinner is tense, but completely erupts when the prodigal son criticizes his father's role as a butler.  Whitaker shines as his Cecil Gaines reminds his son that that butler's salary is what sent him to college, bailed him out of jail and was always there for him. He angrily throws the two from his home and doesn't reconcile with him until near the end of the film.

Strong performances were also given by Cuba Gooding Jr. as one of Cecil Gaines coworkers, Carter Wilson at the White House, and by Terrence Howard as one of Cecil's friends and neighbor, Howard.

Civil Rights Primer

Although the films butler, Cecil Gaines is fictional (the story was only inspired by real life butler, Eugene Allen, not based on his life) the historic back ground of the film was real.  We watch events like segregating schools in Georgia, Freedom Riders, Klu Klux Klan rallies, the Black Panthers and the civil rights movement and Martin Luther King, Jr.  Even though I am familiar with these through school and history, the film makes them pack a punch as they are seen fresh through the eyes of the Gaines family.  Powerful scenes include a group of black students sitting in a 'whites only section' of a diner to promote equality and a Freedom bus stopped by force by a rally of KKK who smash the windows of the bus and burn it.  These moments did well in their impact and I still find it hard to believe that people had so much hate for others just because of their skin color. Of course, I suppose I should not be shocked as I see the exact same thing today with opposition to gays seeking equal rights.

The Presidents

Surprisingly, one of the weakest parts of the film was the casting of the presidents. Since the Butler is all about a butler who served 8 presidents, his relationship and interactions with each is an important part of the film. Except for perhaps James Mardsen as JFK, none of the presidents captured the actual president for me. Robin Williams played Eisenhower, and I could only see Williams comic demeaner underneath.  Romantic lead and record store owner John Cusack played Nixon.  Anthony Hopkins WAS Nixon when he played him in the film of the same name.  I just couldn't picture Cusack who I've loved in all the classic John Hughes 80s movies as 'Tricky Dick".  Although I was just a kid when Jane Fonda sympathized with the North Vietnamese, I could understand why many vetarans might be outraged at Hanoi Jane playing Nancy Reagan. They put enough makeup on Alan Rickman to make him look like Ronald Reagan, but he didn't seem like the charismatic Reagan I knew from my days in college.  

I felt that the scenes in which Cecil Gaines interacted with the presidents were the weakest, when they should have been the heart of the film.


Summary

Overall, we loved the Butler.  Forest Whitaker was excellent, as were many of the actors in the film.  The film squarely shows how awful hate looks and how real the damage is that hate causes. Of course one only need to watch the evening news to realize that this lesson has still not been learned.   My favorite aspect of the movie was the story of the Father and the prodigal son.  I was surprised that the least favorite part of the film for me was the Butlers service to the various presidents, because for the most part, the film makers failed to capture the essence of the various presidents.

 I gave the Butler Four stars, it is a look at the US that is not washed over and polished up, but the stark reality of how ugly our history was and the struggle that many had to make for the same rights and dignity as many take for granted.

Recommend this product? Yes