The Butler:
I heard on David Letterman that the film was titled Lee Daniels' The Butler because a studio had the rights to a silent film called The Butler and didn't want for the films to be confused, which is ridiculous. The film chronicles the life of Cecil Gaines, who started out as a farm worker, and then progressed to bartender and butler, eventually working for the President. Forest Whitaker gives a very emotional performance as the central character of Cecil. He really carries the film. Another fantastic performance is Oprah Winfrey as Cecil's caring and supportive wife Gloria. The cast is really large, and includes legends such as Robin Williams, Clarence Williams III, Terence Howard, John Cusack, and Alan Rickman. It also includes some good actors like Cuba Gooding Jr., David Oyelowo, Mariah Carey (who also was featured in Precious), Lenny Kravitz, James Marsden, James DuMont, Liev Shreiber, Minka Kelly, Adriane Lenox, Vanessa Redgrave (Nip/Tuck), Colman Domingo, and Alex Pettyfer (Magic Mike, Stormbreaker). Melissa Leo was originally was cast to play First Lady Mamie Eisenhower, but her part was ultimately cut from the film. Jane Fonda caused controversy for being cast as Nancy Reagan, because people are pissed "Hanoi Jane" was cast as a First Lady, so much so people are boycotting the film. I'm upset because now theaters refuse to show the film, which is a shame, because not only is her role in the film minor (in fact, many of the Presidents and First Ladies in the film appear very briefly), but the film is excellent, and no one should miss it. The movie is really a gem, one of the best films this year, it would be criminal for people to be unable to see this film because people are pissed about something that happened in the 60's and 70's. (I'm not defending Fonda's actions at all, just to be clear, what she did is unforgiveable.) The movie is written by Danny Strong (writer of Recount and Game Change, another political film, and a cast member of Buffy the Vampire Slayer). He does a fantastic job, as usual, and does a good job adapting the book A Butler Well Served by This Election by Wil Haygood. Lee Daniels does a fantastic job directing, and although I think some of the casting choices were just a bit odd (Rickman as Ronald Reagan and Cusack as Richard Nixon), he overall did a good job finding the right people for this movie. Honestly, Whitaker should win Best Actor for this film, and Winfrey should at least be nominated for Best Actress. The Butler is an emotional and powerful film with tons of great performances and Oscar-worthy writing. 5/5 stars.
(Image: Wikipedia)
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