Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

“Goin* to the Show...” with... Roland Willis Lee Daniel's The Butler Starring: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo, Cuba Gooding Jr., Lenny Kravitz, and Terrence Howard Directed by Lee Daniels Written by Danny Strong Running Time: 2 hour, 12 minutes Rated PG-13 for racial violence In spite of this pretentious title, this is a very ambitious movie featuring fine performances by Forrest Whita ker and Oprah Winfrey who needs no introduction. This is a fictional biography of Eu gene Allen who was a butler in the White House for 34 years under seven administrations. In the film, the butler’s name is Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker). As a young boy on a cotton plantation around 1925 outside Macon, Geor gia, he is taken in by the owner, An- nabeth Westfall (Vanessa Redgrave) to become a house servant after her son, the overseer, has abused Cecil’s parents. When Cecil eventually leaves Ma con to strike out on his own, his train ing as a servant serves him well and he is hired by a benevolent, black hotel manager who teaches him to be an ex pert bartender and waiter and drums into him that in a white man’s world you wear two faces... there is your waiter’s face where you smile and say, “Yes, sir. No sir. Three bags full, sir,” and there is your own face which you keep for family and friends. This advice serves him well when he becomes a waiter in the prestigious Excelsior Hotel in Washington, D. C. He is so impressive that he comes to the attention of the chief of the staff at the White House and is offered a job there as a butler. He must be totally non-political and is there to serve the president and his staff and guests. He must be like the wallpaper in the room. He must be unnoticed yet cater to their every culinary need. While at the Excelsior he meets, falls in love and marries Gloria (Oprah Winfrey) and they have two sons, Lou is (David Oyelowo) and Charlie (Eli jah Kelly). He keeps his butler face on at work but he is his cheerful self with his fam ily and their friends in a lower middle class section of Washington and with his fellow butlers (Cuba Gooding Jr. and Lenny Kravitz). Everything is going along well and he is very proud of the scholas tic achievements of his son Louis and his acceptance into Fisk University in Nashville. This is the early sixties as the civil rights movement is starting. Louis recognizes that something momen tous is about to happen and he joins the movement going all the way from lunch counter sit-ins, freedom bus rides, Selma, the Rev. Martin Luther King’s assassination and finally be comes a Black Panther. This rebellious route puts Louis at odds with his father and his belief that you just put up with things and sur vive in a white man’s world. To add insult to injury, Cecil often sees the Ku Klux Clan attacks, the po lice beatings, the fire-hosing and the snarling police dogs on the presidents’ TVs as he is stoically serving them el egant meals and refreshments. In this way the director takes us through the black experience from the cotton fields to the rebellion leading to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This is very well done. The tension is eased along the way by amusing vignettes of the various presidents... Eisenhower (Robin Wil liams), Nixon (John Cusack), Kennedy (James Marsden), Johnson (Liev Sch- reiber) and Reagan (Alan Rickman). Jane Fonda nails Nancy Reagan. There are two movies I can think of which have direct bearing on this one. The Help (2011) depicts the plight of black housemaids in Mississippi during the Civil Rights Era. In spite of essentially raising the children of their white employers, they were often treated very badly and very reluctant ly, with great trepidation gave inter views for what became a very popular book and movie. Viola Davis received an Oscar for her role as a maid. The other movie is The Remains of the Day in which Anthony Hopkins’ wonderful performance as Stevens the butler, defined that role. He was the head butler at an English manor house in the days before World War II. Leaders of England, Germany and America met there and the butler be lieved that his excellent service helped these important meetings along. Cecil Gaines never feels this way. Stevens also had his butler face on but was so engrossed by his role in this household that he forgot his own face and could not change when approached affectionately by the housekeeper Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson). Cecil was always able to switch back at the end of his shift. Having received an Oscar for The Last King of Scotland and having given an outstanding performance in The Crying Game, it is no surprise September 2, 2013, The Islander, Page 7 that Forest Whitaker is great as the butler. It is a surprise, however, that Oprah gives such a fine performance as the long suffering wife and mother. She really can act. This is a bold, ambitious film by director Lee Daniels and its suc cess owes much to the writer Danny Strong. As historical fiction this film could have been more entertaining. The sto ic face of the butler in the presidents’ office becomes tedious. I wanted to shout, “ Let’s hear more from the pres idents and their advisors as momen tous decisions are being made.” Cecil’s younger son, Charlie, is used to highlight the conflict in the black society over the struggle for civil rights. He wants nothing to do with it. He just wants to fight for his country and dies in Vietnam. This story took little courage to tell. The story that really needs to be told is that of the black experience in Viet nam. Will anyone have the courage to do this? Anyway, I recommend this movie. My rating is B+ □ Subscribe to the Islander Now! 912.265.9654 or ssislander@bellsouth.net Follow us on ffl L B ^ Visit movie reviewer Roland Willis's special section of %% Books that inspired Movies' At Beachview Books in the Village 2 blocks from the pier on the Island Glynn county's largest & oldest used bookstore Open daily Not too early, not too late Hearing better is living better Difficulty hearing or understanding clearly? See us for a comprehensive hearing exam. Thinking about hearing aids? We offer: • free screenings • competitive pricing/second opinions • repair/service on all makes and models • most insurance accepted Featuring Oticon, Starkey, Phonak, Siemens, Unitron and GN Resound Visit the audiologist at: CoastaCHearing and r (Balance Center Kendall Varney, Clinical Audiologist 15 Retreat Place, St. Simons Island 912-638-3837