The Help; A Movie Review

This past weekend, my wife and I went to see the movie "The Help." This is a brief movie review of what we saw.

When we first arrived at the cinema, we noticed very long lines for a 3:45 pm viewing. This cinema has 12 separate viewing areas, We soon discovered that the crowd was for our flick. When we entered, we had to sit in the second row towards the front. I wasn't looking forward to this seat. I estimated the crowd at 300.

The movie is set in the early 1960's in the state of Mississippi. A southern society girl returns from college with the desire to be a writer. She decides to write about black women that serve as maids. These maids do everything from cleaning, cooking to raising the children. Her writing turns her high society friends upside down.

The story line has many story lines inside itself. I found it easy to follow and very enjoyable. It also showed the true side of how life was in the south during this period of time. Both white and black communities are very tight knit. However, Skeeter (played by Emma Stone) finally convinces the black maids to start opening up and revealing the details of their lives as maids.

This picture has "Oscar" written all over it. The problem is that there could be up to six individuals aiming for supporting role Oscars. Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney, Jessica Chastain, Sissy Spacek could all be nominees. However, it is Octavia Spencer that stands out as the character Minny Jackson.

I have been watching movies all my life and would give this one a "Five Star."