I should do a CHUD column called "Date Night", because I end up seeing films with the girlfriend I feel like most chewers would never bother with to see.
So this was a film with problems but overall its strong moments outweigh the whole.
The cast is, as in the review, uniform in quality but Viola Davis is the standout. Most of her "big" scenes feel like Oscar bait, they're a bit too easy with the tearjerking, but she pulls off a broken woman that finds new strength admirably. Emma Stone is a relatable and compelling lead, but is too much the anachronism. There is little to convince me that, with her background, she turned out so different than her fellow Jacksonian women. Like, why is she friends with Hilly if Skeeter was always a tomboy and never had a boyfriend? They must have been friends pre-High School, but the movie never develops that. Bryce Dallas-Howard, meanwhile, is suitably chilly and deliciously evil, but aside from a few scenes when she shows affection to her children she's never humanized. She is one-dimensional hateful, towards black and white women, but why? Because she lost Johnny to Celia? We barely get to meet Johnny, and we never see him with Hilly, so it's hard to relate...
My girlfriend had read the book, so I was lucky to have her to fill in a lot of the details. For the most part the movie works as a cinematic adaptation, but there were aspects that felt missing. For instance, we're given a relatively consistent timeline at first (Skeeter arrives back in Jackson; Medgar Evers dies so its June, 1963; the March on Washington is mentioned coming up so it must be August, 1963; then JFK is assassinated halfway through the film so it must be November, 1963; but then Aibileen's boss gets pregnant and suddenly the baby is born and looks to be a few months old), but around the time the other maids are brought in and the book gets published a lot of time apparently passes without many signposts. With that in mind, certain character's only characterization comes from the fact that they've been in Skeeter's life for almost a year, although we don't feel feel the weight of that time. Stuart the boyfriend starts off as fascinating enough as he's a jerk and then redeems himself, but after that he's window dressing and his sudden anger at Skeeter's book feels unmotivated. Nelsan Ellis, Lafayette from True Blood, also shows up as a Godfearing waiter, but only for three scenes and has little impact on the plot.
Octavia Spencer as Minny is the standout. She's hilarious at times, insightful and her hetero-lifemate relationship with Aibileen is sweet. Unfortunate one of the blaring moments in the film, the fact that her unseen husband Leroy beats her, is never given any closure. She's a strong women with her friends and isn't afraid to stand up to white women and social norms, but she lets her husband beat her? Her arc feels incomplete, and I'm sure the book covers it. Speaking of Leroy, him being an unseen threat is probably why Stuart and Henry the Waiter (Ellis) are even in the film. There are barely any male characters, which is fine because this is a movie dealing with how woman interact with each other, but that made Stuart and Henry feel forced into the plot.
Nice period details, like everyone in the movie smoked (although almost immediately the newspaper editor says something like "some day they'll prove those things will kill you." See the "Authentic Decadence" thread). Very relatable because my parents grew up in Alabama. Recommended to watch with a girlfriend or mom, but this isn't a treatise that will end racism or anything.
This movie was pretty awsome if u like the 80's B horror. Its on Netflix
Where the hell are u gonna find gravey flavored condoms in any other movie ...........huh............... I LOVE U TURKEY!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was very excited to see the American Reunion movie. I saw American Pie just after college and remembered it was quite funny. Jim, Michelle, Oz, Heather, Stifler reunite for their high school...
this is the song to have fun on.
