Movie Review: THE HELP

THE HELP

2011
PG-13


"Courage sometimes skips a generation. Thank you for bringing it back to our family."
-- Charlotte Phelan

The Help is 2011 drama directed by Tate Taylor based off Kathryn Stockett's novel of the same name that centers around the civil rights movement during the 1960s. After graduating from college, aspiring writer Skeeter Phelan (Emma Stone) returns home to Jackson, Mississippi and starts to see the normal day-to-day process in a different light. Growing up, Skeeter, like every other white child, was essentially raised by an African-American maid who worked for a very low wage. Every white family had such a maid, making it a commonplace theme throughout the community. Skeeter, however, begins to see the oppression that these maids face on a daily basis, so she decides to take action. After a bit of prodding, she manages to secure the help of two maids - Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) and Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer) - to create a series of memoirs and stories chronicling the livelihood of a maid. Knowing that their activities are illegal, the trio meets in secret in order to comprise their novel, and their bewildering behavior starts to cause concern amongst some of the upper echelon of womenfolk in the community, namely Skeeter's mother Charlotte (Allison Janney) and the head of the Justice League, Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard).

The Help has been on my radar for quite a while now, and I've been meaning to see it since its initial theatrical run last summer. Now that it has garnered four Academy Award nominations, I figured it was as good a time as any to finally sit down and give it a view, and boy am I glad I chose to do so.

The film's screenplay is relatively straightforward in its method of storytelling, and it's this simplicity that gives the audience an opportunity to insert themselves into the storyline and the characters themselves. It's a familiar tale, the tale of racism and prejudice in the Southern United States. The subject has been tackled on dozens of occasions in cinematic past, but The Help manages to distance itself from its genre predecessors and create something a little bit different. Because the story itself is so simple, we as the viewer are able to focus on the characters, getting to know them on a very personal basis. The screenplay's biggest strength is the completeness of each individual character, from our leads down to our semi-major supporting characters. Each brings something a little bit different to the story and to the screen, and in a way, the film works just as well as a character study as it does a story of overcoming hardship and prejudice. In that sense, director and screenwriter Tate Taylor should be commended and applauded.

Fortunately, we have an all-star cast that manages to live up to the characters Taylor helped craft and create. Stone and Davis are fantastic as our leads, and although Davis has received much of the hype going into the awards season, a lot should be said of Stone's dramatic turn. She shows that she has the ability to bring a bit of range to her acting pedigree, and if she wasn't already on your radar, then you best be keeping your eye out for her in the future. Davis is quite the revelation, and she manage to steal this year's Best Actress award from the likes of Meryl Streep and Michelle Williams. And what can I say about the rest of the film's supporting cast? Bryce Dallas Howard is perfectly evil in her prejudiced role, bringing our main antagonist to life. Spencer, who has to be considered one of the front-runners in this year's Best Supporting Actress race at the Oscars brings a bit of drama and a bit of comedy to her role, making us laugh and cry alongside her all the way through. And I can't begin to say enough about Jessica Chastain, who managed to wow me for the second time in a month with her performance here. The cast truly is phenomenal.

Do I think that The Help is going to make a major splash at this year's Academy Awards? Probably not, although it definitely has a shot at its acting nominations. It's received quite a bit of critical acclaim, but word of mouth has ultimately worked far better for this film since it was released last summer. While it does have its moments where it delves into the sappy and melodramatic, there's enough power from the acting performances to carry this film through to its smile-worthy finale.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: A-
2 Thumbs Up

Movie Review: 50/50

50/50

2011
R


"That doesn't make sense though. I mean, I don't smoke, I don't drink... I recycle..."
-- Adam

50/50 is a 2011 dramatic comedy directed by Jonathan Levine that centers around one man's struggle with his cancer diagnosis. After having continual pain in his back, Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) decides to see a doctor. When the test results come back, however, he's told that he has a rare tumor growing directly on his spine. Shocked, he begins to inform those closest to him: his best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen), his girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard) and his mother Diane (Anjelica Huston). Each of them handles his illness in their own way, but Adam doesn't think that any of them really knows the best way to help him. Adam soon befriends a young psychologist named Katherine (Anna Kendrick) and uses her to explain the emotional roller coaster he's riding. As time goes by and his chemotherapy doesn't seem to do the job, Adam must make the decision as to whether he wants to use stronger, more life-threatening means to rid himself of his cancer.

The first thing you're going to notice is that 50/50 isn't quite the straight-out comedy that the trailers may make you believe. While there are a lot of laughs in this film, I'd still classify it more as a drama than a comedy. A good chunk of the big-time laughs are given in the film's trailers, but there's still a few more scattered here and there. However, I feel as though if you take Seth Rogen out of this film, no one's really going to consider it a comedy at all. There's just that much drama occurring throughout the film. Still, I think that should be a given considering the subject matter. Sure, it's a much lighter look at a person's battle with cancer than we've seen in the past, but when it gets down to the nitty gritty, you still have to fight through all the emotions. The scattered humor does its job in lightening the mood, but that doesn't make the movie any less emotional.

A huge part of the emotion comes from the performances, especially from Gordon-Levitt as our lead. I've been a proponent and fan of his work since I first saw him in 2001's Manic, and he continues to amaze me with every film he does. He has the penchant both for comedy and for drama, and he's able to showcase both sides in 50/50. While he's consistently fantastic throughout the film, he takes it to a level of amazing quite a few times as well. Gordon-Levitt is so good at crafting believable characters that you almost forget he's just an actor. I was simply blown away by his performance in this one, and while I'm not sure whether he'll be receiving any Oscar buzz for the role, I personally think he should be near the top of the list.

The rest of the cast fills out quite nicely as well. While I'm normally not a fan of Rogen's work, I thought his brand of comedy worked exceptionally well in its small doses in this film. In addition, I thought he toned it down just enough and showed a dramatic side that I personally hadn't seen from him in a film to date. Kendrick also does well in her role, proving once again why she's a force to be reckoned with in the Hollywood scene. Howard and Huston also play fantastic roles in their supporting roles, bringing quite a bit of emotion to the screen from two women who should be the most important in Adam's life. All-around, the cast is phenomenal and is truly what makes the film so powerful.

I won't lie and say I made it through 50/50 without shedding a tear or two. Having lost family members to cancer in the past, this one hit a little closer to home than it might for others who haven't had to deal with such a malevolent illness. The power that Joseph Gordon-Levitt brings to the role is simply astounding, and I don't think I could ever commend him enough. 50/50 is simply a beautiful film that may cut you to the core, but it's definitely worth your time to watch it.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: A
2 Thumbs Up

Movie Review: HEREAFTER

HEREAFTER

2010
PG-13


You can watch the trailer here

When you hear the name Clint Eastwood, you immediately think of quality cinema. Whether you're pondering his roles in countless Westerns or as the iconic Harry Callahan, or you're thinking about his numerous directorial features, you can easily come up with some of the greatest movies ever made. He has proven himself on both sides of the camera, and every ounce of respect he receives he has dutifully earned. That's why it is, with a heavy heart, that I must write this review for his newest film, Hereafter.

I should have seen it coming - his last two films (2008's Gran Torino and 2009's Invictus) left me with quite a bit of want. I had issues with the acting decisions in Gran Torino, and while Invictus was very good, it just left something to be desired, and I couldn't quite put my finger on just what that was. Still, I held out some hope that Hereafter could be good, despite the mixed critical response it has thus far received.

Let's go with the storyline. We're following three characters: a French television journalist and tsunami survivor (Cécile De France); a no-longer-practicing psychic with true ability (Matt Damon); and a young boy who loses his twin brother (dually played by Frankie and George McLaren). Each character has been touched in some way by death, and each is trying to deal with that in their own way. Eventually, their paths intertwine, and the rest, as they say, is history.

On paper, this very well could have been a fantastic success. However, not every idea can be transferred well into a movie. It took me a little bit of thought to figure out where the problem lied here, but I think I got it: it tried way too hard to pack as much emotion into everything in the film. Obviously, with the subject matter, we can assume that things are going to get a little bit emotional, but it seemed as though Eastwood was trying to force the emotions onto the audience. It was heavy-handed and slow, and I just didn't feel a thing for any of the characters. I understand that they were going through some terrible situations, but I felt absolutely nothing, and I'm a pretty emotional guy when it comes to the movies.

In terms of acting, I can't really complain. The performances are good, especially from Damon and De France, but it's definitely nothing spectacular or Oscar-worthy. However, Bryce Dallas Howard did surprise me in a very limited role, and I was left hoping to see her again in the film. Sadly, her character departed abruptly, and I lost all connection to the movie whatsoever.

Were Eastwood not as successful as he is, I don't think he could have made this movie. It's one of those films that you can only make after you've established yourself as a directing force (See: Christopher Nolan's Inception or the Coen brothers' Burn After Reading). Unfortunately, Hereafter did not play out to what Eastwood probably assumed it could be.

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: C-
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