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I went and saw it today. Keep in mind that I was growing up in the Eisenhour years, so I basically grew up in the same era as this movie. That being said, I thought it was wonderful and very moving. Also very sad to recollect how blacks were treated in those early years. I didnt watch it as though I was watching a documentary, I knew it was loosely based on his life, but I did enjoy the historical references.
Mariah Carey has had acting roles before. She was in the film Precious as a counselor. And considering the subject matter around her role in the film I find it absolutely disgusting that you have the audacity to joke about waiting for her to sing.
(I will not discuss the specifics for the sake of those who have not yet seen the film)
IT WASN'T a JOKE. So you wasted your disgust. His mother might have been a gospel singer in the church or something. Why have Mariah Carey in this role if she isn't going to use her perfect voice? You missed my point entirely.
Theres no way that i would go see this. Im tired of these movies that come out just to try to rehash how AAs were treated way back when. Its things like this that fan the flames of hatred amd racism instead of extinguishing the fire. Yes, AAs were treated bad, but whites did help them sometimes too during the civil rights era. In the end, its all over and done with. Time to move forward, not backwards.
Theres no way that i would go see this. Im tired of these movies that come out just to try to rehash how AAs were treated way back when. Its things like this that fan the flames of hatred amd racism instead of extinguishing the fire. Yes, AAs were treated bad, but whites did help them sometimes too during the civil rights era. In the end, its all over and done with. Time to move forward, not backwards.
I suppose that may be true for some people, but my hope is that films like this remind people how truly far our nation has come regarding civil rights. To me, the tragedies against blacks, as portrayed in this movie, should make people be less quick to label every trivial matter as "racist".....such as the situation with Oprah and the expensive purse. (My first thought regarding that incident was, "Hey, I'm white, and I've been treated the same way by a store clerk before." It happens. It doesn't mean it's racism.)
Theres no way that i would go see this. Im tired of these movies that come out just to try to rehash how AAs were treated way back when. Its things like this that fan the flames of hatred amd racism instead of extinguishing the fire. Yes, AAs were treated bad, but whites did help them sometimes too during the civil rights era. In the end, its all over and done with. Time to move forward, not backwards.
I think some films probably serve to hurt race relations while others are depicting blacks in a more dignified manner as opposed to old stereotypes. Fruitvale Station is one that I feel is probably more divisive and produced to stir emotion, Jackie Robinson's story has been told over and again and often films like this tend to demonize whites. I haven't seen The Butler but I imagine it follows the typical Hollywood formula of life during the civil rights era for blacks and there will probably be the token evil white guys depicted in obvious and cliche fashion to rile up the PC wolves. At the same time, it is a welcome departure from films that often depict blacks as violent, urban uneducated thugs, hip-hop icons, pimps, and loud obnoxious clowns.
It seems Hollywood only wants to retell the story of blacks or Jews, but rarely ever makes films about the plight of Asians or Latinos. The only time we ever see films depicting the struggles of Italians or Irish who first came to this country are usually gangster films. Not a lot of films being made about the suffering of the Chinese who were used as slave labor to build the railroads or the treatment of Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and Mexicans coming to this country during the 1940's - 60's. Maybe it has something to do with culture and the fact that these groups often won't paint themselves as victims. Hollywood and the media love to race bait people into spending their money and buying into agendas, I'm surprised they haven't tapped into these relatively untouched markets outside of the independent film circuit.
My husband and I saw the movie this afternoon. We both had tears streaming down our faces at the end. We both lived through these times and I lived in D.C for almost 10 years from 67 to 76. Even then there were magazine articles about Eugene Allen and his long service as a butler.
I think the movie was a wonderfully well executed juxtaposition of the service of the butler and the protest of the son. It was a history movie as well as a movie about the struggle between the butler and his son. Anybody who bothered to do even the most cursory research on the movie knows it is not a biography. It is a story "inspired by the life of Eugene Allen". I found it so far from boring I'm wondering if I saw the same movie those who disliked it did. It brought back incredible memories as they interspersed actual news footage with dramatic re-creations. We lived through those times. We saw how those activities and events changed the course of our society. I marched in civil rights marches which riled my right wing father no end. I'm proud to have been a part of this history but I cried to think of how brave those Freedom Riders were to face the hate and torment they did.
It saddens me when some people say "it's in the past- get over it". If we don't talk about our past and keep it alive for future generations the mistakes and injustices will only be repeated. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to keep the dialogue going so that our future looks brighter than our past. Harvey Weinstein, the producer, said his 15 year old daughter was absolutely shocked at some of the scenes depicted or the news reels. She and her friends had no idea that blacks had fire hoses and dogs set on them. I'm sure there are many people even in their 20's and 30's who will be surprised to know about what the early civil rights demonstrators had to endure.
BTW most of the actors were in the film for free or, at the most, scale. Actors were calling and begging to be in this movie. They knew Lee Daniels would do it right and they wanted to be a part of it. Daniels had to beg folks over and over again for the money to make this film. He said he pestered many till they finally gave in. Several major studies turned it down. He did not ask Oprah for money because he said "I was the boss and if Oprah had invested in it that would have made her the boss and we both knew that would not be a good thing."
I don't think she will be nominated for any great awards. But the movie certainly will be and Forest will be too. That is a good thing.
Maybe a person has to be over the age, either chronological or mental, of 19 to appreciate what this story is about.
IT WASN'T a JOKE. So you wasted your disgust. His mother might have been a gospel singer in the church or something. Why have Mariah Carey in this role if she isn't going to use her perfect voice? You missed my point entirely.
She wanted to be in the movie because she recognized how important the story is. To have her sing would have ruined the entire movie and be a blatant ploy for commercial exposure. This is not a musical, it is a dramatic story.
My husband and I saw the movie this afternoon. We both had tears streaming down our faces at the end. We both lived through these times and I lived in D.C for almost 10 years from 67 to 76. Even then there were magazine articles about Eugene Allen and his long service as a butler.
I think the movie was a wonderfully well executed juxtaposition of the service of the butler and the protest of the son. It was a history movie as well as a movie about the struggle between the butler and his son. Anybody who bothered to do even the most cursory research on the movie knows it is not a biography. It is a story "inspired by the life of Eugene Allen". I found it so far from boring I'm wondering if I saw the same movie those who disliked it did. It brought back incredible memories as they interspersed actual news footage with dramatic re-creations. We lived through those times. We saw how those activities and events changed the course of our society. I marched in civil rights marches which riled my right wing father no end. I'm proud to have been a part of this history but I cried to think of how brave those Freedom Riders were to face the hate and torment they did.
It saddens me when some people say "it's in the past- get over it". If we don't talk about our past and keep it alive for future generations the mistakes and injustices will only be repeated. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to keep the dialogue going so that our future looks brighter than our past. Harvey Weinstein, the producer, said his 15 year old daughter was absolutely shocked at some of the scenes depicted or the news reels. She and her friends had no idea that blacks had fire hoses and dogs set on them. I'm sure there are many people even in their 20's and 30's who will be surprised to know about what the early civil rights demonstrators had to endure.
We saw the movie on Saturday and enjoyed it very much. When it was over, the audience applauded.
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
The audience applauded at several points in the movie....and laughed and cried....when we were there. The resolution of the father-son conflict was extremely moving.
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