Roger Ebert acknowledges that the book The Help (by Kathryn Stockett) has a lot of loyal readers who may have been imagining the movie exactly as it was made. He calls it entertaining and praises the actors from Viola Davis to Octavia Spencer to Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard and Alison Janney. He does suggest that they would have "benefitted from a more fearless screenplay." Ebert gives the movie three stars.
My local paper this morning says that the movie is unfortunately "burdened by cliche" but saved by the stars. Katharine Monk says it is exactly what one expects from Hollywood, choosing the words "familiar and predictable" but calling it enjoyable. Monk also gave the movie three stars.
One of my favorite reviewers, Nell Minnow who writes as The Movie Mom, calls the movie one of the best dramas of the year, saying that the movie "engages with its sensitive subject matter humbly and sincerely." She gives it a score of B+.
Having benefited from these reviews, The Help is still on my list. I'm not sure when I will get to see it though, given the fact that the next movie we see at the movie theatre will likely be Cowboys and Aliens since it is my husband's turn to pick. Find your copy of The Help on Amazon by clicking here.
Have you seen The Help? What did you think?
See you
at the movies!
Brenda
Quick Links:
Read Roger Ebert's review of The Help.
4 comments:
We have two theaters; one indoors for winter an' one drive-in for summer. We don't always get the latest movies an', in fact, both theaters are kept open by the kind efforts of volunteers. None of us wanna' lose our simple pleasures, nor a place where our youth can date safely.
Having said alla' that, I don't recall seeing that 'The Help' was one of our movie choices an' I'm looking forward to seeing it available for rent at our local rental station ~ ~ ~ about six years from now, if we're lucky. :)
~ Yaya
I know that's the case in a lot of smaller towns. I guess you are lucky to have what you do have available. (And I agree about needing the theatre for your youth for whom movies are so important.)
I live in Ottawa so we are a big enough city to have several movie theatres. Some of the movies whip through fast though I expect The Help will be here a bit longer than that.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I watched it. Loved it. Was surprised that I did, actually. It was long, but amazingly done. I should probably read the book now!
for more of my own thoughts...if you wish: http://wp.me/pWaTa-1mu
I hope you get to see it soon!
I hope I do, too and I hope you read the book, it was very good. Longish but the kind of story you don't want to end.
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