Lee Daniel’s The Butler

Directed by	Lee Daniels
Produced by	Lee Daniels Cassian Elwes Buddy Patrick Pamela Oas Williams Laura Ziskin
Screenplay by	Danny Strong
Based on	"A Butler Well Served by This Election" by Wil Haygood
Starring	Forest Whitaker Oprah Winfrey
Music by	Rodrigo Leão
Cinematography	Andrew Dunn
Editing by	Joe Klotz
Studio	Laura Ziskin Productions Windy Hill Pictures Follow Through Productions Salamander Pictures Pam Williams Productions
Distributed by	The Weinstein Company

The Movie:

Lee Daniel’s The Butler is a 2013 American drama film that depicts fictionally the life of a real-life figure Eugene Allen. It stars one of the great and respected African – American actors Forrest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines who gives an account of his life from being a child raised in a cotton plantation in Macon, Georgia into becoming a celebrated butler in the White House starting at Dwight Eisenhower’s presidency up to Ronald Reagan’s regime. Living in an era beset by bigotry and racial discrimination, Cecil becomes a witness to a historical transformation of his beloved country in dealing with the issues on segregation between blacks and whites and in resolving them through various Civil Rights Acts, particularly the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by John F. Kennedy. Within Cecil’s 34 – year tenure as a butler in the White House, he also battles with his eldest son’s participation in different non-violent resistant movements in the south, a father-son conflict that is at the heart of this film.

With the loving support of his wife, Gloria (Oprah Winfrey), and his co-workers, Cecil manages to go through the troubles in his life with courage and perseverance. In his own way, he is able to fight for the rights of the black workers inside the White House in terms of having the same rate of salary and promotions as they so well-deserved. Included also in this film is the chronological presentation of the historical figures in the White House and their respective contributions or suppressions to the issues at hand, as well as the various non-violent resistant movements of the blacks in achieving their dream for freedom and integration. It culminates in the election of President Barack Obama, the first black president of the United States of America.

My Review:

The Butler is an inspiring, moving, and engaging film that tries to depict the struggles of a particular person and a particular race for inclusivity, integration, and the right to self-determination that is continuously sought since time immemorial by those who are considered to be at the bottom of the pyramid in a society. The film may have only highlighted some significant historical facts in a certain period of time, but it does not fail to deliver the essence of a good movie wherein one leaves the theater with something to think about. It touches the very heart of what it takes to be human, regardless of color, race, and culture.

I appreciated the fact how the movie depicts the struggles of each president in looking at the issues and their great contributions through the implementation of various civil rights acts. It portrays them as humans who, with their own strengths and flaws engaged themselves in a battle of conscience to do the right thing. I give credits to the good actors who portrayed them: the enigmatic Robin Williams as Dwight D. Eisenhower, James Marden as John F. Kennedy, Liev Schreiber as Lyndon B. Johnson, John Cusack as Richard Nixon, and Alan Rickman who is laudable in his portrayal as the 40^th President of the US Ronald Reagan.

It is also notable how the civil rights movements are interspersed throughout the film. One of the very touching and intensely emotional scenes was the non-violent sit-in by the black students in a segregated diner. It was a painful scene to watch, thanks to the powerful portrayal by David Oyelowo (Louis Gaines) and Yaya DaCosta (Carol Hammie, Louis’s girlfriend), among others.

The movie, however, flawed as it was as regards historical accuracy, and the annoying music at times, was made memorable by the strong and captivating performance by Forrest Whitaker as the butler Cecil Gaines. It equaled, if not superseded, his great performance as the dictator Idi Amin of Uganda in the critically acclaimed 2006 film The Last King of Scotland where he won Best Actor in the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, and the BAFTAs, among others. Whitaker gives his best performance in this film by his powerful portrayal of a father who struggles to reconcile with his eldest son, a husband who tries to balance his job and his role to his wife, a butler who tries to serve in the White House warned just to serve - “hearing and seeing no evil,” and, an African-American who, like the rest, dreams of real freedom and integration of his own race into a very discriminating society. He is able to show the emotional, physical, and intellectual demands of each role making the movie really interesting, engaging, and unforgettable.

Another great acting in this movie is by Oprah Winfrey as Gloria Gaines, the wife of Cecil. Here, one sees an ordinary, yet a natural, clever performance of a world-renowned, sophisticated Oprah. It is really sad that she was not nominated in Academy Awards this year. She gives a remarkable performance as a wife who, despite an affair with a friend for that natural longing to be with someone because of Cecil’s absence, continues to be a loving support to her husband, making herself a strong strand that ties the disintegrating Gaines family. I admired her memorable performance in one scene where she tries to defend her husband from their eldest son’s harsh words and treatment of Cecil during a dinner with Louis’s girlfriend. It was powerful and emotional. And she nailed it!

This movie is actually a gathering of great Hollywood stars including, among others,   short but relevant appearances of David Banner (Cecil’s father), Mariah Carey (Hattie Pearl, Cecil’s mom), Jane Fonda (First Lady Nancy Reagan), Terrence Howard (Howard, the Gasineses’ neighbor romantically involved with Cecil’s wife Gloria), Vanessa Redgrave (Annabeth Westfall, the cotton farm caretaker who teaches Cecil domestic works after his father’s death), Clarence Williams II (Maynard, the mentor of a young Cecil and the owner of the restaurant that Cecil broke into), Cuba Gooding, Jr. (Carter Wilson, head butler), and Lenny Kravitz (a co-worker butler). It is amazing to see this line of excellent casts in one movie.

Lee Daniel, as well as his cinematographers, editors, producers, and other staff powerfully create a film that does not only entertain but also teaches us the indomitable human spirit that soars high above the vicissitudes in life. The theme may be common and the story fictionally told, but it is one movie that convinces every person that in life, something is worth-fighting and dying for.

I recommend this movie to all who never stops trying to reach their dreams in life, and to all who is open to learn from those who reached them through courage, perseverance, and non-violent resistance.

For this unforgettable movie, I give 4 (out of 5) stars!