Lee Daniel's: The Butler (2013):
Starring:
Forest Whitaker - Cecil Gaines
Oprah Winfrey - Gloria Gaines
David Oyelowo - Louis Gaines
Elijah Kelly - Charlie Gaines
Terrence Howard - Howard
Cuba Gooding Jr. - Carter Wilson
Cuba Gooding Jr. - Carter Wilson
Lenny Kravitz - James Holloway
Robin Williams - Dwight D. Eisenhower
James Marsden - John F. Kennedy
Minka Kelly - Jackie Kennedy
Liev Schreiber - Lyndon B. Johnson
John Cusack - Richard Nixon
Alan Rickman - Ronald Reagan
Jane Fonda - Nancy Reagan
Nelsan Ellis - Martin Luther King Jr.
Vanessa Redgrave - Annabeth Westfall
Alex Pettyfer - Thomas Westfall
Clarence Williams III - Maynard
Director:
Lee Daniels (Precious; The Paperboy)
Lee Daniels (Precious; The Paperboy)
Synopsis:
As Cecil Gaines serves eight presidents during his tenure as a butler at the White House, the civil rights movement, Vietnam, and other major events affect this man's life, family, and American society.
As Cecil Gaines serves eight presidents during his tenure as a butler at the White House, the civil rights movement, Vietnam, and other major events affect this man's life, family, and American society.
Review:
Does it make me a bad person or a racist if I found this movie to be really contrite, which is obviously the point of every black over coming adversity film but this one had aspects of every one previous to this mixed in to a film that I felt I had already seen. I also kind of felt that at points it was nothing more than a hey look who we got to play this president (poorly as I may add). Alan Rickman's Ronald Reagan was atrocious & a slap in the face to anyone who has ever done a presidential impersonation. While we're on the topic of poor performances, Oprah Winfrey's return to film was horrendous. I snored my way through all of her dialogue & every scene she was in. Forest Whitaker, a long way from his Academy Award for The Last King Of Scotland was forgettable. Before I saw it, I was surprised that it got no Oscar attention, however after seeing it I assume that the academy saw it & was just as bored as I was. It wasn't as horrible as maybe I've made it sound, but there was literally nothing special about it at all that made it anything more than a Netflix, background noise film if you are feeling the "Hollywood White Guilt".
Budget:
$30,000,000
Does it make me a bad person or a racist if I found this movie to be really contrite, which is obviously the point of every black over coming adversity film but this one had aspects of every one previous to this mixed in to a film that I felt I had already seen. I also kind of felt that at points it was nothing more than a hey look who we got to play this president (poorly as I may add). Alan Rickman's Ronald Reagan was atrocious & a slap in the face to anyone who has ever done a presidential impersonation. While we're on the topic of poor performances, Oprah Winfrey's return to film was horrendous. I snored my way through all of her dialogue & every scene she was in. Forest Whitaker, a long way from his Academy Award for The Last King Of Scotland was forgettable. Before I saw it, I was surprised that it got no Oscar attention, however after seeing it I assume that the academy saw it & was just as bored as I was. It wasn't as horrible as maybe I've made it sound, but there was literally nothing special about it at all that made it anything more than a Netflix, background noise film if you are feeling the "Hollywood White Guilt".
Budget:
$30,000,000
Box Office:
$167,743,114
Profit:
$137,743,114
$167,743,114
Profit:
$137,743,114
Rotten Tomatoes: 73%
Flixster: 79%
34%
Lead Acting: 9/15
Supporting Cast: 8/15
Plot: 3/10
Compared To The Genre: 2/10
Cinematography: 7/20
Intrigue: 3/10
Compared To The Genre: 2/10
Cinematography: 7/20
Intrigue: 3/10
Extra: 2/10
