The Butler (Film Review)

      Despite some decisions that hold it back, The Butler makes a lasting impression on race relations in America, and it does rather well without doing the overwrought histrionics of typical films that overlook context. Inspired by the true story of Eugene Allen, who served under eight administrations from 1952 to 1986; he was profiled in a Washington Post article during the 2008 presidential election. 

      The Butler starts from the cotton fields in Macon, Georgia in 1926 with a younger Cecil Gaines witnessing the death of his father from the son of a slave owner. This is when Cecil encounters the mother of the estate, played by Vanessa Redgrave, who teaches him to be a Butler (she actually refers to him as a “House N*****”). The movie then advances to the 1950s, where Forrest Whitaker plays the grown-up Gaines and he encounters landmark decisions on race, wars, JFK’s assassination and life after the job. Sophia Gaines, played by Oprah Winfrey, wishes that her husband wasn’t devoted to his job and would be there for her and his two sons during the changing times in America. Much of the film is a gallery of flashbacks of events seen from the eyes of one man who didn’t change the world or, thus, save it; he served until it was time to leave his post.
      
      Surprising to note this movie wasn’t as heavy-handed as I thought it would be, considering, historical pieces tend to do too much grandiose material regarding America’s past history. The performances by the core cast impresses enough that it doesn’t collapse under its own weight of the material. President Lyndon Johnson’s portrayal by Liev Schreiber was pretty profound while the other ones by John Cusack (Nixon), Robin Williams (Eisenhower), Alan Rickman (Reagan) and James Marsden (JFK) aren’t as effective, but they do try their best for their scenes. David Oyelowo, who plays Cecil’s elder son Louis, is easily the best of the bunch here, and, weirdly enough, was the star of this film. Forrest, I thought, played this character straight enough that you understood his constant struggle of a man living two lives: family man & butler to his administration. 

      Now, there’s nothing wrong with that, though, after about 40 minutes into the movie, I got the point. And, at times, it does seem as if the movie is holding back on its core messages, especially on segregation. Cecil wouldn’t even discuss much politics amongst his family or friends let alone random people who ask him about integrating the schools. That was around the time of the 1954 Supreme Court case: Brown vs. Board of Education. 

      There’s enough here to hold your interest in the source material, yet, I just wasn’t that riveted, because it does get long-winded near the end. While this is a solid movie that covers a lot in our history, it doesn’t do much with improving our intricate race relations. As it stands, it’s a solid dramatization of an exceptional article fictionalized for the big screen.