Skeeter (Emma Stone), fresh from college, lands a job at the town newspaper. To some, the job of writing an advice column for the domestically challenged might not seem like much but for Skeeter it’s a start to her dream career as a journalist or novelist. She asks her best friend if her maid Aibileen (Viola Davis) can help her, as she herself doesn’t have a clue about the domestic arts of cooking and cleaning. Her friend Hilly (Bryce Dallas Howard) reluctantly agrees. But Skeeter has bigger ambitions and secretly asks Aibileen if she will help her write a book about what it’s really like to raise another woman’s children. More precisely, what it’s like to be ‘her’. And trust me, it’s a hard, very sad life to be ‘her’.
To speak of such things, much less write them is downright illegal at that time and place. Aibileen reluctantly agrees to help but both know what they are doing is fraught with danger and peril. But Skeeter needs more than one woman’s story. She needs many. No one else will help but chunky, spunky Minny (Octavia Spencer) until an act of violence brings all of “The Help” out of the shadows and into Aibileen’s home, ready to spill the beans.
There are men in “The Help” but their contributions are small and sparing in this tremendous vehicle for actresses. Quite simply this is the best movie I have ever seen with a predominately female cast. It is heartbreaking and hysterically funny. Some scenes will outrage you, while others will fill you with the warmth of self satisfaction.
“The Help” is an amazing product of a thoughtful, well written script, flawless art direction and some of the finest acting to ever grace the screen. When all was said and done, I felt that I had seen the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress performances of the year—times 5! Yes, this whole cast is that good!
Home girl Emma Stone, continues to blossom and make us proud! She is a true steel magnolia, alternately neerdy, shy and a fearless warrior for change. Allison Janney is pitch perfect as her mother. Veteran Cicely Tyson is heartbreaking as the aging family retainer. While another veteran, Sissy Spacek, is an absolute riot as a smart as a whip aging matriarch. Jessica Chastain, fresh from the maudlin and confused “Tree of Life”, seems to be channeling Marilyn Monroe as the ditzy but sweeter than sugar, town tramp Celia Foote. Bryce Dallas Howard as mean spirited but picture perfect Hilly Holbrook hits a home run as the woman you will love to hate. Bryce has always mesmerized on screen but this is the first time she has had the opportunity to get a role equal to her impressive talent. Dad must be bursting with pride!
But at the end of the day, so much credit has to go to Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer. There simply aren’t words to convey the depth and brilliant colors of their performances. If emotions were colors, these master thespians blazed through Crayola’s 64 count box and then some!
Kudos also go to Director and Screenwriter Tate Taylor. The movie is long at 2 hours and 20 minutes but impeccable direction, deft storytelling and measured pace keep one leaning forward. And while I haven’t read the best seller by Kathyrn Stockett, I am told the movie is very faithful and will not disappoint fans, of which there are many! I already asked April Warneke if I can borrow her copy when she’s done.
The truth is those times were hard. That’s what I understand, not from what I have seen in a movie or read in a book, but from the stories of my own mother, the women in my family, my godmothers, and countless mentors who lived during that time. Racism is ugly. Racism is sinful and still plagues our society. It takes courage to admit and then wrestle with that statement.
You see, many evangelicals desire to reach across the aisle and talk racial reconciliation. I truly want to see racial reconciliation lived more consistently in my lifetime, for I believe that the gospel is the message and ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18–21). True reconciliation means restoring our relationship with God and each other. If 11 o’clock Sunday morning continues to be “the most segregated hour in America,” we are deceiving ourselves that we are living this reality.
Sure, we have come a long way, but in some circumstances, we are still hindered by folks like Hilly who make assumptions, ask questions but don’t listen, and then draw conclusions based on the small bubble in which they live. Instead of following Hilly’s arrogant lead of asking superficial questions like, “Aibileen, you like your separate bathroom in the garage, don’t you?” we can take Skeeter’s lead and go visit Aibileen’s house. It is at the kitchen table in a home when both of you are vulnerable and uncomfortable that the truth is shared.
That’s what I loved about The Help. It sends a powerful message that reconciliation does not happen primarily through speeches, books, diversity initiatives, or training and it should send a clear message to the church that reconciliation cannot happen with programs, goals, “special” services, and activities. Reconciliation is the result of intentionally building intimate relationships, one day at a time, with one person at a time.
I challenge readers to start here: take a look at your phone contact list and e-mail contacts. How many people are from a race or ethnicity different from your own? What kind of people have you invited to your dinner table over the past year?
We have a long turbulent history of racial injustice in this country, but I believe the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who said that “what self-centered men have torn down, men other-centered can build up.” God calls us to be other-centered. The love of Jesus is other-centered, which is why he engaged the Samaritan woman, allowed Mary of Bethany (a woman) to sit and learn at his feet, and ate with the tax collectors and sinners.
The gospel says that we all need help. The help that God provides gives us courage to tell the truth, love our enemies, offer forgiveness, and be the image bearers that he created us to be. That’s what Minny and Celia, Skeeter and Aibileen share with us. That’s a story of hope.
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