Trailers for “The Help,” a period piece about Mississippi in the dawning days of the Civil Rights Movement, represent the film as a lighthearted comedy, but nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, “The Help” is a powerful piece with great characters, sharp writing and at least two potential Oscar nominees.
Viola Davis turns in a solid performance as Aibileen, a maid who also serves as the narrator for the story. After losing her college-aged son, Aibileen’s work and her best friend Minnie (Octavia Spencer) keep her going throughout the day. The children in Aibileen’s care also become her substitute for the son who died way too young.
Through Aibileen’s eyes, the audience meets the rest of the characters, including Skeeter (Emma Stone), a recent college graduate who wants more than a husband a life of tea parties and bridge games. Skeeter wants to be a writer, but the best she can do is an $8-per-week job writing a housekeeping advice column.
Skeeter needs to find a great story in order to become a real journalist and she believes that story is in Jackson, Mississippi. At first, her idea about writing a tell-all book from the point-of-view of the maids goes over like a lead balloon, but painful circumstances change the mind of the maids.
Definitely not a one-note movie, “The Help,” based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett, is easily one of the best films to come out of this summer movie season. Director Tate Taylor, a native of Jackson, helps the book make a smooth translation to the big screen.
Viola Davis leads a talented cast in the lead role of Aibileen. Though she has been working as a maid for decades, Aibileen has been working for social change in her own way, encouraging the children in her charge to realize that they are beautiful, special people even when their mothers and fathers ignore them.
Octavia Spencer lights up the screen as Minnie, the maid who gets, uh, sweet revenge on a former employer. Spencer shows Minnie’s pain, from having to send her oldest daughter off to become a maid to taking abuse from her husband. No matter what, though, Minnie is always her own person.
Emma Stone is a welcome addition as Skeeter, the twenty-something who acts as a catalyst for social change in Jackson. Bryce Dallas Howard is both frightening and funny as Hilly, the society leader who bullies her friends as well as the hired help. Skeeter and Hilly are polar opposites and it’s interesting to see the two of them dance around each other carefully.
With cameo appearances by the great Cicely Tyson and Sissy Spacek, “The Help” that doesn’t need a bit of help. It is simply perfect as it is.
“The Help,” rated PG-13 for thematic material, currently is playing in theaters.