Have you seen the movie "The Butler" yet, and if so, did you like it?
Asked by
jca (
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August 26th, 2013
Two days ago, I saw the movie “The Butler” (aka “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”). I loved it – the historical footage, the cast, the vintage sets and clothes, the lesson learned. It started out when a young African American boy lived down south, in the early 1900’s and followed him through his life, becoming a butler in the White House. He served 8 presidents, and in addition to following him through his family life and work, it portrayed societal and cultural changes during the various time periods (civil rights movement, Vietnam).
Many people are talking about it on social media, and I don’t think anybody that I know that saw it didn’t like it. Have you seen it, and if so, did you like it?
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8 Answers
No I haven’t, if I want to see a butler I simply have to watch home videos, Carstairs is such a good sport.
I haven’t! But I really want to. I think that it looks really good. Plus!!!! My boyfriend John Cusack is in it. Mmmmmmmmm
I thought it was excellent. The recap of history was amazing: so much conveyed in such brief sequences, powerfully evocative if you knew (and maybe even remembered, as I did) what they alluded to. Parts of it were very hard to watch and brought tears to my eyes.
Alongside the revisiting of the twentieth-century American experience through the lens of civil rights, the drama of the generation gap and especially of the father-son relationship was well and movingly portrayed, with sympathy toward both sides.
The performances of the principals were outstanding. I have to agree with Time Magazine, though, that the portrayals of the presidents were about on a par with SNL caricatures.
@Jeruba I totally agree with everything you said. The movie was terrific; the civil rights scenes evocative and powerful; the family and marital drama very moving. The Presidential portrayals were not very good. I did think that all the principals were great, and that Jane Fonda did a bang up job as Nancy Reagan.
(As an aside, I had to pee from nearly the beginning but I didn’t want to miss any of it by leaving the theater.)
I had to pee from nearly the beginning but I didn’t want to miss any of it by leaving the theater.
I think that would be an excellent movie measure, better than “two thumbs up!”.
“Would you cross your legs in agony and hold it to watch every minute of this movie?”
If a movie is that ^^^ good, it’s probably worth seeing twice. So—just pay attention to where you cut out, and next time stay through that scene and go afterward. It’s actually a treat to meet some new material the second time through.
I enjoyed it, but I also fell asleep for a brief time, shortly after the movie’s start. I have always liked Forrest Whitaker’s acting and thought he did a good job. I thought the script was uneven and that they focused on Oprah Winfrey too much. (Not that I blame them, she’s good, but it didn’t really fit the script). It was a good way to present the period and the growth of the civil rights movement, if you hadn’t lived through that period.
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