Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013)

This film tries to accomplish several tasks without doing so, and doesn't quite meet expectations at every turn. The premise follows butler Cecil Gaines (Whitaker) as he works for many generations of presidents; through their tenures at the White House. Throw in celebrity cameo depictions of presidents (Robin Williams, James Marsden, Liev Shreiber) and some feel-good humor and it's obvious Oscar bait. In actuality the film centers on Cecil and his family, and their fight for civil rights while being surrounded by the nation's turmoil. It tries to be explicit with language and violence, but it's meant to be more subdued. It never quite seems realistic or historically accurate, because it tries to fit into historical events that mattered. His children fall into every historical event or movement dealing with civil rights. One son knows and marches with Martin Luther King Jr. then becomes a Black Panther. Another goes to Vietnam. Meanwhile Cecil influences policy with every president he meets. Sadly, this is supposed to be based on a true story, but liberties were gratuitously taken: the name of the butler is changed, his influence is exaggerated, and the stories about his sons are completely fabricated. Every performance seems strained, especially Oprah's and Whitaker's, and it shows with every passing moment. In the end Ronald Reagan is shown as the hero, and it slows until it's a painful crawl. It's too long, too pretentious, and just too problematic for its own good.

It's a heartwarming and important story to tell, but the gross historical inaccuracies and liberal brow-beating kept me from enjoying it. The cast is superb for the most part, but the casting left me shaking my head at times. If Lee Daniels wanted to make a "rise from discrimination to the pinnacle of power" story, then more power to him, but the liberties he takes along the way are inflammatory sensationalism and sometimes downright dishonest character assassination. I am referring specifically to the mischaracterization of Ronald Reagan. Reagan biographer Paul Kengor interviewed many White House staff, cooks, housekeepers, doctors, and Secret Service over the years, and reported "they are universal in their love of Ronald Reagan." Also, Kengor adds that Reagan's opposition to change in South Africa only concerned that it not become a USSR- satellite communist state.

My summation of the casting is mixed as well. Forest Whitaker is outstanding as always. He and Oprah Winfrey carry the film; their powerful understated performances, I think, successfully portray the struggles and perseverance the real people must have demonstrated. I also note Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., David Oyelowo, and Vanessa Redgrave as delivering superb performances. However, the casting of John Cusack as President Nixon and Jane Fonda, most egregiously as Nancy Reagan, can only be described as a sick inside joke. This must be the producers'' idea of retaliation against anything Republican.

Overall, as I've said, it's a story that deserves to be told, but this particular production is melodramatic overkill. It's contrived for dramatic effect. Instead I recommend "The Help," "The Color Purple," and especially "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman." Presented as the story of the struggles of one black family dealing with changing attitudes through a time of difficult transition in American history, The Butler is exceptional and noteworthy.