The Help is set in the middle of the US Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. The movie looks into the experience of African American housemaids. We follow the story of many individuals; a white female journalist who wants to show the world the experience of housemaids, cautious African Americans who are unsure whether it would be safe to share their stories, and a group of white girls whose biggest priority is building a separate toilet in every home for disease infested 'Coloureds'.

Actresses such as Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Cicely Tyson were really what brought this film to life. I thought that their acting in this film was phenomenal and was one of the real stand-out points for me. The actresses brought characters to life which shone a light on one of the not so talked about aspects of the Civil Rights era. They made it easy to feel connected to their fictional world; a world which most audiences perhaps know little to nothing of.

The Help is genuinely a long movie, and feels that way too. This is something which needs to be expected and I would suggest maybe watching it in two viewings. Despite its long nature, the movie has a perfect resolution. It ends in a charming fashion and isn't predictable.

I have said that the movie shines a light on an unknown time, but I do feel that the spotlight was put a little too much on the white characters in the movie instead of the maids. This is ironic as the whole idea of the movie was to move the attention away from the white people. I think that the movie may have been more enjoyable if the central character wasn't Emma Stone's 'Skeeter' and was one of the handmaids.

The Help was also quite funny. It had some nice gags but I don't feel that the humour was needed. The Help is a sweet story and wouldn't work as a comedy. I feel the movie would have been just as good without the few jokes. It seemed that the humour was piled on top and although the jokes were funny, they didn't really fit in.

I would recommend The Help to anyone. It is the sort of movie that anyone could enjoy, as long as they don't have any expectations. The Help is a beautiful story about an unsung view of the Civil Rights movement with some unnecessary humour added on top and a debatable choice of central character.

Director: Tate Taylor

Starring: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer

Year released: 2011

My rating: 6/10

Review by Tristan Carr

Last edited: 09/05/2021