The Help (2011)

Featured Audience Ratings

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  Cast: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain, Ahna O'Reilly, Allison Janney, Anna Camp, Cicely Tyson, Mike Vogel, Sissy Spacek Director: Tate Taylor Summary: In 1960s Jackson, Miss., aspiring writer Eugenia Phelan crosses taboo… More
  Cast: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain, Ahna O'Reilly, Allison Janney, Anna Camp, Cicely Tyson, Mike Vogel, Sissy Spacek Director: Tate Taylor Summary: In 1960s Jackson, Miss., aspiring writer Eugenia Phelan crosses taboo racial lines by conversing with Aibileen Clark about her life as a housekeeper, and their ensuing friendship upsets the fragile dynamic between the haves and the have-nots. When other long-silent black servants begin opening up to Eugenia, the disapproving conservative Southern town soon gets swept up in the turbulence of changing times. My Thoughts: "It's always a plus when a film does the book it is based on justice. I loved the book. I couldn't wait to see it played out on the big screen. Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer are fantastic in this film. Their strength and triumph to over come their tribulations is heroic and inspiring. Emma Watson is great as Skeeter as is Bryce Dallas as Hilly Holbrook. There is a part in the book where an intruder comes to Celia's home and I was hoping to see it on the screen because it was so funny in the book. But unfortunately it didn't make it. But a lot of the book did make it to screen. It's just as good of a movie as it was of a read. Great directing, performances, and of course writing makes this a film not to miss, and a book to read."

• E.J. B

  
  Viola Davis has only one scene in the movie, "Doubt." It's not a very long scene, but it is the entire crux of that film. In her few short minutes in front of the camera, Davis delivers the heart and soul of her character. It is a scene that should be studied in every… More
  Viola Davis has only one scene in the movie, "Doubt." It's not a very long scene, but it is the entire crux of that film. In her few short minutes in front of the camera, Davis delivers the heart and soul of her character. It is a scene that should be studied in every acting school. Now, she plays the lead, Aibileen, in the much anticipated The Help. There is no doubt Davis stands in a league of her own in this picture. And that is quite a feat since she shares much of the screen with Jessica Chastain, Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney, Emma Stone, and Octavia Spencer - who also gives a performance in a league of its own. The Help is a wonderfully acted and wonderfully shot movie. Where it stumbles is in its execution of the narrative, which quickly becomes an exercise in audience manipulation as opposed to an honest story about racism and the wonderful women who struggled to overcome in. The sympathetic characters are very three dimensional, but the villains are stupid, evil, despicable, and essentially white trash. I never lived in this time or this place, so I could be talking out of my ass; however, I felt this movie falls short of greatness because it often eschews its themes in favour of glossy, tear-jerking moments, which unfortunately oversimplify the issues. I enjoyed The Help quite a bit, but it tried too hard to move me in a certain way, and thus, I never became as emotionally invested into it as I did with a film like To Kill a Mockingbird, or even A Time To Kill. It's a shame really, but the performances are simply outstanding.

• Sam B

  
  With a knack for creating a realistic atmosphere, plenty of emotional weight (without being too manipulative), and several noteworthy performances, The Help is thoroughly enjoyable, despite its slightly long run time and a rather black-and-white (no pun intended) look at race issues.

• Jameson W

  
  Seriously, a great film, and my favorite of the year! The story is touching, emotional, powerful, but also humorous at times which is not always an easy combination to fulfill. Besides the powerful story, the absolute best thing about the film is the acting. Great performances all… More
  Seriously, a great film, and my favorite of the year! The story is touching, emotional, powerful, but also humorous at times which is not always an easy combination to fulfill. Besides the powerful story, the absolute best thing about the film is the acting. Great performances all around. Emma stone is fabulous; she has one moment in particular that cuts you right to the heart (for those who have seen it, you know what I'm talking about). Viola Davis shines as the lead maid and Octavia Spencer is equally as brilliant. One performance that isn't getting as much attention is Allison Janney. She's absolutely stunning and I don't think the film would be as good without her. The performance for me though is by Jessica Chastain...a truly fascinating character fueled by a masterful performance. I really really hope she wins the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress; it looks like the award will likely go to her co-star, but Chastain is as deserving! She made this film for me and I can't wait to see her future work. The Help is a must see film! A wonderful story fueled by beautiful performances. Nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture!

• Julie B

  
  Some really good performances even though it does play a bit like a fairy tale.

• Sanjaya &

  
  I know that I might overrate it but to tell you the truth a five star rating can't describe how much I love this movie, not even if I wrote 200 pages review for this movie (which is making me looks like an insane person if I really did that).. First of all, I must say that the… More
  I know that I might overrate it but to tell you the truth a five star rating can't describe how much I love this movie, not even if I wrote 200 pages review for this movie (which is making me looks like an insane person if I really did that).. First of all, I must say that the power of this movie comes from the brilliant cast they had in here.. I must saying the casting director should be given the credit as he/she can bring a bunch of actress that looks really natural when they act in this movie.. Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain, they just showing their best potential in this movie.. Viola Davis is the leading lady in this movie, which she share with both Emma Stone and Bryce Dallas Howard, which is the luckiest one to receive many nominations -which she really deserved- rather than the other two.. Emma Stone shows a really good acting, it's just she still young and I believe she can do a lot lot better in the future.. While for Bryce Dallas Howard, I can't imagine other actress playing Hilly Holbrook as brilliant as she did so I believe she should having nominated, too bad she got a really rough competition this year.. While for the supporting cast, Octavia Spencer stealing everyone's attention here with her attitude while Jessica Chastain just show us her other personality in this movie which is great for me.. I definitely agree with the critics if they two are nominated for many awards, with the big credit goes to Octavia Spencer for winning some of the awards, because they two played their character brilliantly to make us audience not letting our sight away from them.. For Jessica Chastain, I more more like her performance in here rather than in 'The Tree of Life', besides that she really having a great year.. The story itself, I haven't read the book before but all I know that it's definitely a great book.. Overall, I must say that it is a great and powerful drama that will glued us to our chair for almost two and a half hour because we will never want to miss even just a second of this movie..

• Cynthia S

  
  Really good book. Really good movie..for a change. It is hard to make a movie that completely compliments a book. This one was pretty darn close to perfect. I wish that it could have gone more in depth, but I know they had to draw the line somewhere...they already had it at 2hrs and… More
  Really good book. Really good movie..for a change. It is hard to make a movie that completely compliments a book. This one was pretty darn close to perfect. I wish that it could have gone more in depth, but I know they had to draw the line somewhere...they already had it at 2hrs and 17 min. Any longer may have drawn it out too much. Regardless, this film was just wonderful. Touching. Funny. A very good mood-booster. Well done. Kudos!!

• Sanjay R

  
  This is a very well done movie, but it won't surprise you in any way. It's about mistreated black women, the white women who mistreat them, and one woman who defies society. Even though it is exactly what you would expect, there are nice subplots and very good performances… More
  This is a very well done movie, but it won't surprise you in any way. It's about mistreated black women, the white women who mistreat them, and one woman who defies society. Even though it is exactly what you would expect, there are nice subplots and very good performances that make this movie enjoyable.

• Thomas J

  
  What a GREAT movie!! It inspires me to think one day 50 years from now people will see a movie with gay characters and say.... it was because of people like these (characters in The Help) that helped change the attitude about discrimination.

• KJ P

  
  "The Help" follows many families through the brutal truth of racism and (black) women slavery. There are many moments of stereotypical culture references that are easily noticed, bringing this true-to-life story ever so close to your heart. Emma Stone is really making… More
  "The Help" follows many families through the brutal truth of racism and (black) women slavery. There are many moments of stereotypical culture references that are easily noticed, bringing this true-to-life story ever so close to your heart. Emma Stone is really making something of her career as an actress, playing a young woman who is determined to write a novel that is filled with interviews from "the help" (the black woman housemaids), and their perspectives on life. Bryce Dallas Howard plays a woman who is an everyday racist, who doesn't even let her maid use her bathroom, because she is a black woman. Bryce Dallas Howard, even though you will grow to hate her, truly shines in her role, becoming the largest bitch of 2011. Every frame is shot to perfection, even line of dialogue will have a tear trickling down your face, every performance, lead or secondary, will blow you away. By the end of this film, I wished I had lived in the decade during these events, because I was the one wanting to make the change by the end of the film. This the most important film that I have seen in 2011. Definitely a contender for best picture. This film is a prime example of historical storytelling art! A true masterpiece in modern hollywood cinema!

• Manu G

  
  Change begins with a whisper. Excellent Film! Very important film about racism and woman in the 60's. Very good acting and story. Highly recommended to see by everyone. Set in Mississippi during the 1960s, Skeeter (Stone) is a southern society girl who returns from college… More
  Change begins with a whisper. Excellent Film! Very important film about racism and woman in the 60's. Very good acting and story. Highly recommended to see by everyone. Set in Mississippi during the 1960s, Skeeter (Stone) is a southern society girl who returns from college determined to become a writer, but turns her friends' lives -- and a Mississippi town -- upside down when she decides to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent southern families. Aibileen (Davis), Skeeter's best friend's housekeeper, is the first to open up -- to the dismay of her friends in the tight-knit black community. Despite Skeeter's life-long friendships hanging in the balance, she and Aibileen continue their collaboration and soon more women come forward to tell their stories -- and as it turns out, they have a lot to say. Along the way, unlikely friendships are forged and a new sisterhood emerges, but not before everyone in town has a thing or two to say themselves when they become unwittingly and unwillingly caught up in the changing times.

• danny d

  
  truly an excellent film. chastain, davis, spencer, and spaycek were all marvelous, and the entire ensemble cast worked very well together. the story was engaging and not at all guilty of the things it was criticized for from a social perspective. the film was funny, dramatic,… More
  truly an excellent film. chastain, davis, spencer, and spaycek were all marvelous, and the entire ensemble cast worked very well together. the story was engaging and not at all guilty of the things it was criticized for from a social perspective. the film was funny, dramatic, charming, and sad, and used all of these emotions well without taking any of them to a point of excess. really great.

• Tony G

  
  There's nothing particularly wrong with "The Help". Well acted, briskly shot with a story that is simply told without much complexity. But for a film that tries to be important it isn't orchestrated substantively enough to be as raw and hard-hitting that a… More
  There's nothing particularly wrong with "The Help". Well acted, briskly shot with a story that is simply told without much complexity. But for a film that tries to be important it isn't orchestrated substantively enough to be as raw and hard-hitting that a film about this subject matter should be. But it's still a film worth watching as "The Help" has some impressive points that make it a film to be appreciated. Based on Kathryn Stockett's best selling novel of the same name, "The Help" tells the story of a young white woman, Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan (played by Emma Stone), and her decision to write a controversial book from the point of view of the help (the maids). She convinces two maids Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) and Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer) to tell their stories exposing the casual racism they face on a daily basis from their white families. The performances are strong. Viola Davis anchors a cast with power and she's a key reason why "The Help" works. She plays Aibileen Clark with an air of dignity, compassion and strength that is a sight to behold. She could have easily taken the character into caricature mode (the kindly old maid) but she doesn't - and for that reason Davis is earning some well-deserved kudos and strong Oscar buzz. She is surrounded by some nice revelations as well. Octavia Spencer gets the role of her life as outspoken Minny Jackson. Like Davis, she walks the fine line between caricature and realism and pulls it off. Spencer's role is a particularly tough one as the "sassy" role has been done to death, but her portrayal is spot on and believable. Jessica Chastain is having a career year and her role here like Davis' and Spencer's is also borderline cartoon and she also nails it. These three standout performances elevate "The Help" from average status. The rest of the film's performance don't walk that fine line quite as well. While it's hard to find fault with Emma Stone's solid performance, you can't say the same of Bryce Dallas Howard who starts off fine but then turns her character into Cruella DeVil. Her villainy is so outrageous at times (she puts her Mom in a home for laughing at her) that by the time she gets her, not surprising, comeuppance it doesn't ring true. "The Help" in its attempt to be palatable to all audience glosses over a lot of the real serious themes the film is about. The racism is given the Hollywood treatment so the full impact of what the Help went through doesn't make the audience feel too uncomfortable. At least the film doesn't entirely pander to the audience (like the atrocious "Crash" did). "The Help" is a smartly constructed, watchable film that has lots of great moments, but at the end doesn't leave much of an impact regarding the subject matter.

• Michael S

  
  "The Help" is a crisp, straightforward message movie that fortunately does everything right... and somethings even better than that. What really sets it apart is the level of emotion it evokes, while never feeling manipulative like many similar films before it. Credit goes… More
  "The Help" is a crisp, straightforward message movie that fortunately does everything right... and somethings even better than that. What really sets it apart is the level of emotion it evokes, while never feeling manipulative like many similar films before it. Credit goes to the cast for sure. This is far and away one of the best ensembles of the year (Emma Stone gives her career best performance, and Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain are equally brilliant). Viola Davis is flawless and it wouldn't surprise me is she picked up an Oscar for this. Any issues I have with the film are minor and completely irrelevant when considering how strong the overall package is. One of the best films of 2011.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"Change begins with a whisper."</i> An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960's decides to write a book detailing the African-American maid's point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go… More
  <i>"Change begins with a whisper."</i> An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960's decides to write a book detailing the African-American maid's point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> Skeeter Phelan (Emma Stone) has spent 4 years doing her degree in the North before returning to 1960s Jackson, Mississippi, where her eyes are opened to the unconscious prejudice which is constantly directed towards the black domestic staff by the over-privileged housewives of the area. Skeeter determines to collect the personal recollections of the domestic maids for publication as a small step towards righting these wrongs. Like The King's Speech, The Help is not just a worthy film, it is also an entertaining one. The characters are all engaging and rounded people, and are all well played. The film is frequently moving and, more frequently, very funny. The period is nicely evoked. Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer have been singled out for praise for their performances as the two domestics who are first to tell their stories: for me, however, I most enjoyed Jessica Chastain's performance as a bimbo who is not as empty-headed as she at first appears. Her performance was funny, emotional, and haunting, and vastly different to her performances in The Debt and Texas Killing Fields. Bryce Dallas Howard's monstrous queen bee was both funny and chilling. In truth, all the principals had their moments. The film is not perfect. It is a touch too long, and what it says is, at this distance in time, something of a given. However, it says it well, and entertainingly, and if it changes one person's point of view - for there are still plenty of people out there who match the types here - then it will have done a good job.

• Fernando Rafael Q

  
  The big reason The Help isn't already sweeping up awards and probably won't make much of a dent at February's Oscars is that it's not poignant enough. The subject matter is a sensitive one (racism and segregation), and it's been covered countless times on the… More
  The big reason The Help isn't already sweeping up awards and probably won't make much of a dent at February's Oscars is that it's not poignant enough. The subject matter is a sensitive one (racism and segregation), and it's been covered countless times on the big screen, but this film's treatment of it remains a little superficial and lightweight. It's a testament, then, to the strength of Kathryn Stockett's characters (she wrote the novel on which this movie is based) that despite these issues, The Help is still very touching (and funny). Visually, it's much more appealing. The bright pastel colors captured by cinematographer Stephen Goldblatt pop beautifully. But mainly, The Help is a master class in acting, a plethora of incredible performances, three of them worthy of Oscar recognition: Viola Davis in her first starring role since her show-stopping breakthrough in 2008's Doubt, Octavia Spencer's hilarious and heartbreaking Minny and a delicious Jessica Chastain in full Amy-Adams mode. Bryce Dallas Howard, clearly enjoying her time as the ultimate stuck-up bitch, Emma Stone and Cicely Tyson round out the finest ensemble of 2011.

• William D

  
  Thank God for my friends who insisted that I see 'The Help.' The movie may be done in an ultra-mainstream filmmaking style by second-time director Tate Taylor, so mainstream that the word "artless" comes to mind. The cinematography was particularly pedestrian. And… More
  Thank God for my friends who insisted that I see 'The Help.' The movie may be done in an ultra-mainstream filmmaking style by second-time director Tate Taylor, so mainstream that the word "artless" comes to mind. The cinematography was particularly pedestrian. And yes, at times it has the quality of a Hallmark greeting card. But what it lacks in art it makes up for tenfold in heart and soul. This is one of the most moving films I've seen in years, and it will certainly be on my Top 20 list for the year. And while some aspects of the direction may be artless, the acting certainly wasn't. I fully expect Viola Davis to be vying for the Best Actress Oscar this year, and I wouldn't be surprised if Jessica Chastain is in the running for Best Supporting Actress. Bryce Dallas Howard, Alison Janney, and Octavia Spencer also do wonders in large supporting roles. And a cameo by Cicely Tyson is a stunner, in part paying tribute to her tour de force in 'The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pitman' so many years ago. This is one of the best performances by an acting ensemble of the year, perhaps the best. Tate Taylor may not have much of a cinematographic or editing sense, but his direction of actors is sterling. It's only Emma Stone, in one of the lead roles, who surprisingly falls a little flat. Even with its weak elements, including a painfully dull title, "The Help" is a must-see and is destined to become something of a classic. Don't miss it.

• Jeff "

  
  I heard the buzz around this film, and the book, and was told it was a superb film. A "friend" of mine told me I would hate this film, she was very wrong. The Help is a stunning piece of cinema, a near flawless film that tells an important story. The cast here was excellent,… More
  I heard the buzz around this film, and the book, and was told it was a superb film. A "friend" of mine told me I would hate this film, she was very wrong. The Help is a stunning piece of cinema, a near flawless film that tells an important story. The cast here was excellent, Emma Stone surprised me here, and I thought she was refreshing in something totally different. This is one of the year's best films and is a phenomenal must see film. The cast is excellent, with several great performances. The plot is both dramatic and funny. Like I previously stated, I was very much surprised with the film, and it exceeded my expectations. The Help is a great story about the changing times of civil rights. This is a stunning film with several key performances. Viola Davis is excellent and should get a nomination as well Bryce Dallas Howard. I enjoyed the film, and I thought it had just the right amount of comic relief to mix in with the drama. The Help is a one of the year's best films. I very much loved the film, and it exceeded my expectations. The film has a powerful story to tell, and with a cast like this, it makes The Help one of the best dramas to come out in quite some time. There are plenty of sad moments that really make this film what it is. The Help should get some Oscar buzz and there are plenty of great elements to this film to get a few Oscar nods. With a great cast, good plot, and great directing, The Help is a stunning, near flawless film that is one of the best dramas to come out in recent times. A wonderful, well acted film that is equally sad, but funny too. Like I previously stated, I didn't expect much from this film, I expected to hate it, however I took a chance, and was very much surprised, and I think that The Help is one of the year's best films. If this one doesn't get nominated, the Oscars are a joke for sure.

• Brad W

  
  The Help is one of the best films of the year, a perfect mixture of drama, humour, beauty, and truth. Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) is a middle-aged African-American maid who has spent her life raising white children and has recently lost her only son. Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer)… More
  The Help is one of the best films of the year, a perfect mixture of drama, humour, beauty, and truth. Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) is a middle-aged African-American maid who has spent her life raising white children and has recently lost her only son. Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer) is an African-American maid whose outspokenness has gotten her fired many times and built up a reputation for being a difficult employee, but she makes up for this with her baking skills. Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan (Emma Stone) is a young white woman who has recently moved back home after graduating from the University of Mississippi to find that her beloved childhood maid has mysteriously disappeared. Amidst the era of discrimination based on color, Skeeter is one of the few who believe otherwise, and she decides to write a book, "The Help," based on the lives of the maids who have spent their entire life taking care of white children and have been ill treated. These three stories intertwine to explain how life in early-1960s' Jackson, Mississippi, revolves around "the help"; yet despite the intimate quarters in which whites and blacks live, there is always a certain distance between them because of racial lines. The plot of The Help is not one I have seen in a while, a movie that works so well with what it is given, there has not been a movie in so long where I watched and was amazed on how much faith they had in this film, how much they knew people would love it, the story has so many different parts, so many different and special characters, and teaches us about how for some people (espically back then) is not handed to them, you must work for what you want, and that is what the story told me. Their better be some big Oscar Acting nominations this year for this film because this all star cast was tremendous. Emma Stone is growing up so fats, she is in so many movies lately I can't believe how good she can bein each role, but amazingly she never ceases to surprise me. Viola Davis was the best actress in the film, she made me laugh, cry, and she was so good I teared up when her story had ended, and she truly is (in my opinion) a shoe in for a Oscar nomination, if not winning the award. Octavia Spencer was another one of my favorites, she was tough, funny, and you really d pity her life in a way, but you start to begin to realize that she is beginning to care for Jessica Chastain in the movie, and the two might save each others life in a way they didn't imagine. In conclusion, The Help is possibly the years best drama film and one of the best films of 2011, the movie uses humour perfectly where it should be in the movie so people will not feel sad throughout the whole film, the performances are amazing and great, the plot was perfection, but if I had one problem with the film is that it didn't really lead to anything at the end, it just seemed like there would be a really amazing ending for all the work thy did, but in the end it was just a good ending, and a amazing movie to see and I highly recommend you see this film.

• Reid V

  
  It is a civil-rights tale, a feminist tale, and as a white person it is designed to make me sleep better at night knowing that someone tried to right the wrongs of the past. With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, I am not only given the chance to, but I feel good about rooting for the… More
  It is a civil-rights tale, a feminist tale, and as a white person it is designed to make me sleep better at night knowing that someone tried to right the wrongs of the past. With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, I am not only given the chance to, but I feel good about rooting for the protagonist. It is the American version of the "Good German" film. Now we can relegate Jim Crow America to the dustbin of history, because the viewer finally has someone to relate to. We did it! We finally did it! We ended oppression! While as you can see I had quite a problem with this film, I didn't hate it as much as I thought I would. Davis is stellar and even when you know you are being cheaply manipulated, some of the notes hit. So check it out for yourself and relish in the warm fuzzy progressive feelings that will surely dance around your head.

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