Oftentimes when we read a book and then see the movie, we don’t like the movie as much. When we read, our imaginations are so much more vivid than even the best special effects crews or set designers can create. As a result, movies based on books (sometimes) lack in character development, because it is tricky for a living person to embody all the nuances of a character completely fleshed out on the page.
With this in mind, I went to see “The Help.” I loved the book, so I had some concerns about the movie capturing what I loved. As it turns out, my trepidation was unfounded. The movie was very well done. Naturally, things were left out or slightly changed in the essence of time, but the movie was true to the soul of the book.
Set against the backdrop of 1960s race relations in Mississippi, it tells the story of the white women and their black domestic help. “Skeeter” is a white woman bent on breaking all the social mores of the time. She desires to write a book (what was she thinking?!), doesn’t feel the need to be tied to a man (shocking!), and she doesn’t think that the black maids are social pariahs, spreading diseases wherever they go. She believes they are human beings with a story to tell, and she wants to tell it, in the form of a novel. (oo-oo-we, we got trouble!).
The stellar performances were plentiful. Most notably was Bryce Dallas Howard (yep, “Opie’s” daughter) as the “high and mighty” Hilly Holbrook (she did this so well that I actually did abhor her, which is big, because I love Bryce Dallas Howard). Emma Stone (usually in comedic roles) nailed the more dramatic role of Skeeter. Viloa Davis gave abundant heart to Aibileen, and Octavia Spencer made Minny Jackson jump off the page!
Overall, there was plenty of drama (as you would expect), room for tears, and there were quite a few laugh-out-loud moments! This one is definitely worth your time and your money. But don’t skip the book - it’s even better!
4 Stars
I had no idea that was Opies daughter. What else has she been in?
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