Film Review: Family Emotions Uplift ‘Lee Daniels’ The Butler’

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CHICAGO – In one of the more intriguing ways to frame the 1960s civil rights movement, “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” places the context of that African American struggle through the filter of family dynamics, focusing on the father as a butler in the White House, through six presidents.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

The great actor Forest Whitaker plays that butler, from his roots on southern cotton fields to the election of Barack Obama. Based on a real White House butler, the story of the family is a fiction written by Danny Strong. It boasts an all-star cast, with Robin Williams, James Marsden, John Cusack and Alan Rickman all portraying presidents, among others. The civil rights movement is active through the butler’s son, and all the main events come alive on screen including lunch counter sit-ins, Freedom Riders that get out the vote and the later, more radical Panther Party. The conflict between father and son, plus the butler’s position right next to the power, add layers and depth to a time period that covers a bit too much territory. The strong performances of Whitaker and the main cast – which includes a stellar Oprah Winfrey – propel the film beyond the density of the timeline, by evoking some passionate emotions.

Cecil (Forest Whitaker) begins the film in old age, waiting to meet the new president, Barack Obama. He has been retired as a White House butler for several years, and begins to tell his astounding journey through flashbacks. After witnessing the death of his father on the cotton fields of the South, he makes his way through the ranks as a house servant, in a hotel wait staff and finally, as butler in the White House.

His journey encompasses six presidents, from Eisenhower (Robin Williams) to Reagan (Alan Rickman). He is married to Gloria (Oprah Winfrey), and has two boys, one of which (Louis, portrayed by David Oyelowo) is active in the civil rights movement after going to college. As the years and the barriers fall in the African American struggle of the 1960s, Cecil’s family must endure the fallout from the son’s activities. All the while, Cecil serves the presidents.

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”

In the Shadow of History: Cecil (Forest Whitaker) Serves Six Presidents in ‘Lee Daniels’ The Butler’ Photo credit: The Weinstein Company

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”