The Help Movie Critique
Amanda Roberts Movie Critique “the Help” could use some help!
Have you ever wondered what it was like to live a day in the life of an African American woman, caught in the middle of the 60’s civil rights movements? Have you dared imagine what they really went through? If yes, the film “The Help” would certainly be a movie you may want to see. Though it was scattered and a bit inefficient, I think this movie gives a new and sassy perspective on the crucial time of our countries history and the ladies and untold stories involved there. We start out seeing a young southern girl, we call “Skeeter”, just retuning from college… with a zeal for writing. She gets a job writing a cleaning article for the local paper and decides to interview some of the “help” for advice on it. This is instantly looked down upon by her “well-to-do” friends. They think it’s improper and beneath them to associate with the maids outside of their house work. After Skeeter realizes how hard life is for these African American ladies, she gets the idea to write a book completely from their perspectives, full of their stories. The only problem is, everything they do has to be done secretly. Knowing how dangerous it could be if some one found out, one maid at a time agrees to help out and share heart breaking and also heart warming experiences. This book titled “The Help” becomes a small town phenomenon and causes more problems than its share, turning Jackson Mississippi upside down. But it is also the stepping stone that leads to Skeeter to her dreams of a New York writing job, and gives hope to the help, that they themselves can make a difference. I have always been interested in African American history and how they over came obstacles forced on them by hate, especially African American women. That’s why I was sure I would totally love this movie, but sadly, I ended up being disappointed. I felt as if this movie had so much potential, but never quite got there. Many
Have you ever wondered what it was like to live a day in the life of an African American woman, caught in the middle of the 60’s civil rights movements? Have you dared imagine what they really went through? If yes, the film “The Help” would certainly be a movie you may want to see. Though it was scattered and a bit inefficient, I think this movie gives a new and sassy perspective on the crucial time of our countries history and the ladies and untold stories involved there. We start out seeing a young southern girl, we call “Skeeter”, just retuning from college… with a zeal for writing. She gets a job writing a cleaning article for the local paper and decides to interview some of the “help” for advice on it. This is instantly looked down upon by her “well-to-do” friends. They think it’s improper and beneath them to associate with the maids outside of their house work. After Skeeter realizes how hard life is for these African American ladies, she gets the idea to write a book completely from their perspectives, full of their stories. The only problem is, everything they do has to be done secretly. Knowing how dangerous it could be if some one found out, one maid at a time agrees to help out and share heart breaking and also heart warming experiences. This book titled “The Help” becomes a small town phenomenon and causes more problems than its share, turning Jackson Mississippi upside down. But it is also the stepping stone that leads to Skeeter to her dreams of a New York writing job, and gives hope to the help, that they themselves can make a difference. I have always been interested in African American history and how they over came obstacles forced on them by hate, especially African American women. That’s why I was sure I would totally love this movie, but sadly, I ended up being disappointed. I felt as if this movie had so much potential, but never quite got there. Many
Cited: Mounger, Dwyn. "Blogs." New York Daily News. N.p., 29 Aug. 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. The Help. Dir. Tate Taylor. Perf. Viola Davis. Walt Disney, 2011. DVD.