Lee Daniels' The Butler

This is truly an excellent movie...and I think it was very tastefully done!!!! I enjoy movies that are based on a "True Story". I was born in 1960 up North, so I didn't experience the racial oppression that so many others lived through during their life in the Southern States. I am glad to have this movie in my library. It brings things more to life than just what I learned about in History class during my early years of schooling. I just viewed it last night and I was amazed to learn (from one man's perspective) what he experienced, how his family was affected by his life as a Butler, especially during a time of depression and when people of color was discriminated against on so many levels...and yes, he even experienced racism in the White House. Many people of color suffered and paved the way so that we can have the right to equality...and for this sacrifice, I say, "Thank You" to all of the pioneers that gave of themselves, their demonstration of courage and the sacrifice of their lives for our civil rights...and to those that fought in ANY War...I extend my heartfelt appreciation...Thank You for Serving! While I know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion...after reading the reviews, I almost did not purchase this movie, but I'm so glad that I did. There is much that happened and was swept under the rug during that era and some of us wouldn't have a clue unless someone told the story, wrote a book...or perhaps, made a movie. I have no buyers regrets on this purchase...I hope it wins an Oscar!!!!

I used to think a bit less of this film because of the numerous changes made to the life of Eugene Allen, the real-life butler whom this is all based on. I just assumed these changes were made under the name of "artistic license" to add more drama to the story. Then I read The Butler: A Witness to History , including director Lee Daniels's forward and I now understand the man's reasons for making the changes he made. While Daniels wanted to tell the story of a man who selflessly worked as a butler in the White House for thirty-four years, serving under eight U.S. Presidents from Truman to Reagan, he also wanted to tell the story of what was simultaneously going on outside of the White House...mainly the Civil Rights era. Having read the forward in the book, I now understand this and the fact that, in order to tie it all together, changes had to be made. I consequently like the movie a lot more than I once did. Forest Whitaker was by far my favorite in the film, playing Cecil Gaines, Eugene Allen's film counterpart. He played the character with a quiet self-confidence that Allen surely possessed in life. I thought it was a bit cliché for him to have personal conversations with many of the Presidents, but Whitaker's subtle ability to draw in an audience in made it work. I admit I wasn't sure about the casting of Oprah Winfrey as Whitaker's wife, but she did well. The older of their sons, played by David Oyelowo, was a portal for his family, and the audience, to see the struggles going on throughout the nation, especially in the South, as people fought for Civil Rights. You could see the conflict between father and son...it all felt genuine and that made the ending between them all the more satisfying. The second son, played by Elijah Kelley, was there just so there could be a second son. But he served one purpose, which was to illustrate a second conflict going on at the time. I knew nothing about either of these actors before they played these boys, but I was quite impressed by both of them. Another person who really impressed me was Aml Ameen, who played Cecil Gaines at age 15. The scene of his time at the café or diner or whatever it was was perhaps my favorite in the film. As for the other supporting characters, this film featured a cast of all-stars. I did find it weird to see Robin Williams never crack a joke anywhere in a movie he was in, but he played a fine Dwight D. Eisenhower...in fact, I didn't see Robin Williams at all...I only saw Eisenhower. Same goes for John Qusack, who disappeared into his role as Richard Nixon. James Marsden once commented on all the Oscars and nominees he played alongside, but he can stand proudly among these folks as he was a fine John F. Kennedy. In the end, everyone who played a historical figure did a great job. My favorite among this crowd would have to be Robin Williams as Eisenhower. As for the fictional supporting characters, Cuba Gooding, Jr., was my favorite, but he didn't get nearly the amount of screen time he deserved. The story was great as well. As I've explained, I've changed my mind and really do like it as opposed to the first time I saw it in theaters. There was never a dull moment throughout and many cast members, such as Oprah Winfrey and Mariah Carey, really surprised me, doing much better than I would have guessed. I fully recommend this film as it delivers a worthwhile plot from beginning to end...and the final line will make you laugh and just smile right afterward because both Forest Whitaker and Cecil Gaines totally deserved to say that line after everything they had been through. I suppose my final solace with this film is that Eugene Allen's family also liked it. I do wish that the great man himself could have gotten a chance to see it, but that will never be. But you should definitely see this film and you should also read The Butler: A Witness to History ...everything is put into much greater prospective. Enjoy.

Lee Daniel’s the Butler Rated PG-13. How propitious that this powerful drama, based on an article in the Washington Post (http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2008-11-07/politics/36906532_1_white-house-black-man-history), was released during the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech! The film’s black butler Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker) may be a fictionalized version of the real Eugene Allen, but the events he witnessed, inside and outside the White House, are true, indeed historic, including Pres. Eisenhower’s sending in troops to protect the students integrating the Little Rock High School; the Kennedys and the Freedom Riders; the Selma March and Pres. Johnson’s “We Shall Overcome” speech; the Mississippi Summer Feedom Project; the urban riots following the murder of Dr. King; and much, much more. Every person of faith should see this film and discuss it with others. White and African American pastors should seek each other out and see if their congregations are willing to meet together and talk about the issues raised. Some of the conversations the black characters have among themselves will surprise many whites about their assumptions and views, one example being how acclaimed actor Sidney Poittier is perceived. It is so good to see a film in which the story of blacks is told without bringing in on an equal basis a white character to share the star credits. Oh yes, the constellation of famous whites playing the supporting roles has garnered lots of attention, but essentially this is an African American story told by African Americans!

Great movie should watch

I am so glad a film such as this made the impact it did in today's world. We are so used to seeing the bloody debacle of slavery and the civil rights movement we sometimes forget that there was life between and after those times and it is that which we know so little of. This film gives us an opportunity to witness life as seen through the eyes of a young boy going forward into manhood and old age from a place that is still almost frozen in time. The startling truth of the residual effects of slavery comes when we realize, that in the opening scenes, we are seeing life as it was in the 1920's! This is when we see and realize that southern blacks, at the very least, were still very much their master's "slaves" and were still horribly oppressed and hard put. It is from this important vantage point do we enter the life of a young boy and follow, with him, through the ensuing years. It is this truth which sets us up for the mindset of a man that will travel through the many tumultuous years of this country as they pertained to the black man's experience in America. It is more than ironic that he became a butler in the White House under 8 distinctly different presidents during the many tumultuous years this film encompasses! The White House is used almost as a metaphor employed as a backdrop for the panoply of historical events through which his life passes and not about the White House itself! That must be understood or one will take a wrong turn and believe that something is missing! While there are a few instances of interaction with sitting Presidents the overall story is one that does not at all depend on those interactions. Not at all...this is about a man who happens to become a butler in the most revered place in the land but in reality, his life was no different than that of a well employed man working at any other job. The thing that should give one pause is that even by employment at the White House, the seat of all American hope and the perpetual guardian of our Constitution, the history of this family was no different than any other and his experiences were really not much different than any other. His wants or his needs were not met any differently than they would have been had he worked four blocks over and three to the right. His children experienced life as most other Black children did in and through their time. White America and its feelings toward the Black man are more than evident when one contrasts the differences between White staff and Black. Who was sitting in the Oval Office mattered very little and the problems are more than obvious. The story is an important one and Forrest Whittaker gives a beautifully controlled performance as the protagonist while Oprah Winfrey, as his wife, shows us the reality of the flip side of this strange little coin. The two are masterful in depicting two completely different experiences as Black people. He never forgets where and what he came from and is grateful for his situation, proud as a staff member of the White House while she sees and lives life though a parallel prism of another reality. It is a film I am glad to have experienced and I think you will be too.

Lee Daniel's The Butler is a wonderful historical account of Cecil Gaines' service as a butler for several United States' presidents during the height of the civil rights movement. While we are all familiar with most of the events in the movie this movie provides a perspective from the presidents themselves during these trying times in our history. It is a "behind the scenes" look at the minds of the men who have shaped the foundation of our democracy with respect to Civil Right litigation. This movie is a must see for all Americans. While some people claim that the movie serves to advance a liberal political agenda, as a "non-liberal" I completely disagree with this statement. This movie is a historical account of a trying time in our history. Whether or not every part of the movie is exactly accurate is irrelevant as most historical accounts that are turned into movies are dramatized to please the viewing audience. Politics aside, this is an exceptional film that everyone should watch!

Regardless of the reviews claiming this movie is not a real portrayal of the REAL BUTLER serving through multiple presidents in the white house, the history of the civil rights movement cannot be poo-poo-ed as inaccurate. This movie showed beautifully the generational fights of father/son. The 'butler' had all the faith that the 'good white men' showed understanding and true love for the humans struggling to survive while only wanting equal treatment, while on the other hand the son was a bit more radical which caused conflict between father/son and decades of estrangement. The reviewers who had no personal first-hand experience with segregation, separate water fountains, bathrooms, seating arrangements, integration, riots (on and on and on) probably should stop nit-picking about what is inaccurate about this movie and concentrate more on what actually happened in the early 1960's (and before). Nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors (until it is no longer secret information), but there is absolutely no denial of what is/was witnessed. Having said that, Forest Whitaker has been a favorite since Good Morning Vietnam, but Oprah just really could not pull off the role she attempted to play, probably from way too much overexposure. The rest of the acting was worth watching.

Good movie and it came in great condition.

The movie was amazing. Great acting by all actors. Tearful moments and full of history. Amazing too see how far the world has come. Thi is a ust see movie Lolo

Dieser Film basiert auf eine wahre Begebenheit. Vom Sklaven einer Baumwollfarm zum Butler im Weißen Haus. Dieser Mann hat 3-4 Präsidenten überlebt und wurde vom damaligen amtierenden Präsidenten der USA Barack Obama ins weiße Haus eingeladen, nachdem er der erste farbige Präsident der USA wurde. Obama wusste von Cecil und das er mehr als gute Dienste im weißen Haus getan hatte. Herzerwärmend, Spannend & eine wahre Geschichte hinter diesem Film.

Très beau film. A voir.

The Butler is a movie which enables viewers to watch a piece of history unfold, a piece of history which forces us to remember that we are all equal.

Excellent Movie