The Help

The central subject mater of the film The Help is not  racism. Yes the film takes place in the south, in the sixties. And yes racism is a theme throughout the film, and also drives part of the plot, but racism is not the what this movie wants to talk about. Every criticism hurled at the film because it simplified race relations in the south didn't really understand the movie. the Help is about women. Women and the relationships they have with each other, with their children (in the case of the maids, as surrogate mothers), with their community, with their men and with themselves.

Based on the best-selling novel by Kathryn Sockett the movie stars Viola Davis as Aibileen Clark, a black maid to a white southern family, who has spent her entire life raising a generation of other woman's children. Emma Stone is "Skeeter" a young woman, fresh out of college with a journalism degree who has returned home to discover that  Constantine, (Cicely Tyson in a small, but powerful performance) the woman who raised her, is no longer employed by her family and her mother won't tell her why. Octavia Spencer is Minny Jackson, another black maid, who has a "smart mouth" and finds it difficult to hold a position for long. If it wasn't for her cooking nobody would hire her.Minny is currently employed in the home of Hilly Holbrook,(Bryce Dallas Howard) a woman whose racial beliefs extend to the idea that the law should require homes with black help to have separate bathrooms.

The way Hilly and her friend Elizabeth treat "the help" inspire Skeeter to write a book about black women in the south. She begins by asking the maids about their real life experiences working for white families. At first they are reluctant to participate, but shocking events in the community convince them to tell their stories. The book becomes something that touches and changes all their lives.

The Help is a woman's film with some really good roles for female actors. There are 16 female roles and along with Davis, Spencer, Stone, Howard and Tyson, the film stars Allison Janey, Sissy Spacek, Mary Steenburgen, Ahna O'Reilly, Jessica Chastain and in another small but memorable role, Dana Ivey.

The film is party drama and part comedy and handles the balance nicely. the humor is found in every day life situations and these woman laugh even as they struggle to survive day to day. It is a typical heart warming message movie that Hollywood does so well and I was not surprised when it was nominated for best picture this year. equally unsurprising is the 3 acting nominations for Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain. All three were excellent. Davis has already one the best acting Golden Globe for her performance.

Rating -The Help ***1/2 stars