The 2011 film The Help is an inspirational and touching movie that is truly a must-see. As a #1 New York Times best seller written by Kathryn Stockett, The Help conveys a powerful message about equality for African-Americans during the Civil Rights Movement.
Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan, is a part of a tight-knit, wealthy group of friends in Jackson, Mississippi who all have maids, black women whom they pay to serve them around their house called “the help”. Although her friends treat the maids poorly, Skeeter doesn’t change her respectful attitude towards all her maids. When Skeeter lands a job writing for a newspaper and is given the task of writing about something that has never been done before, she knows exactly what to write about. She decides to write a controversial story from the point of view of “the help,” something outrageous that has never even been considered before.
Although she is reluctant to find maids that are willing to expose what it is truly like to be a part of “the help,” she eventually finds some that reveal what Skeeter is looking for, and more. Stories of poor treatment by employers emerge, revealing what these women and their families have had to deal with for generations. When this cutting-edge book is released, chaos breaks loose among the town. The women in Skeeter’s tight-knit group begin to realize that it is in fact them whom the book was written about and their treatment towards “the help.”
A good movie is something that is controversial, evokes emotion, and has believable characters. The Help has all of these things and more. The movie takes place in the deep south during the Civil Rights Movement, a time where tensions are running high. The people of the south are reluctant to change their ways of equality and it is evident throughout the film. The plot of the story portrays the controversial and ground-breaking manner of what has happened.
Evoking emotion is also an important part of what makes a movie good. If a movie can bring emotion to someone, it is truly connecting with them to make them feel as if they are a part of the story itself. The story of what these maids had to endure because of the times is so catastrophic in the way that you cannot help but to feel an attachment to what happens to them. This appeal to emotion links the viewer to the film so that they understand the feelings of the characters on a deeper level.
Having believable characters also contribute to the quality of a movie because if they do not play parts right then the story will not seem as real. In The Help, the actors truly became their characters and their passion for their characters was evident. The characters of The Help received countless awards for their performances in this film. Actress Octavia Spencer received a Golden Globe for the “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture.” Also, the entire cast received an award from the Broadcast Film Critics Association for the “Best Acting Ensemble.” (www.IMDb.com) Countless other awards and honors were given to this film for an outstanding performance.
In conclusion, The Help is absolutely a must-see film of this year because of the outstanding performances, effect of emotion on the viewer, and the controversial story line. The Help should definitely be on the American Film Institute’s Top 100 Films.
Works Cited:
Tomatoes, Rotten. The Help (2011). 2011. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_help/ (accessed February 12, 2012).
Database, Internet Movie. Awards for The Help. 2011. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1454029/awards (accessed February 12, 2012).
I think you did a really nice job of explaining what happens in the movie without giving away too much! You included a lot of necessary things in a review like the fact that it was #1 on the New York Times best seller, and also the requirements that you found met in the movie. It's interesting to see all of the awards that the movie had recieved as well! I've wanted to see this movie for a long time and this made me want to see it even more. My only piece of criticism would be that sometimes it sounds a little repetitive, but overall I think this was a really well written review!
ReplyDeleteI think you did a really good job grabing the reader. You showed that it would be a good story because it was on the NEw York Times best selling list and because it won awards. You continued to keep me interested when you gave a basis of the plot. You didn't give too much away and left me wanting to know what happens to the charecters and how the story ends. You also evoke emotion by showing that the movie is about a controversial and important subject, the civil rights movement. The fact that you showed where this was taking place helped me to better understand what the movie would be about and left me really wanting to see it. Overall, you did a really good job at reviewing this movie.
ReplyDeleteKelly, this is a great movie evaluation! I think you did an awesome job in summarizing the movie. Your summary was breif and helped me understand what the movie was about without giving away any important parts. I think you also did a great job in stating the criteria of a good movie. You brought up a good point about how a good movie sparks emotion, and I agree with that. I liked how you shared all the awards the movie won. I think that this helped strenghthen you evalutaion because it showed that other people thought it was a good movie, too.
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