Lee Daniels' The Butler Reviews

There are severe script issues and the pacing is off at times, but the performances are solid and, for the most part, "The Butler" is an entertaining and emotionally resonate drama.

A thumbnail historical overview of sorts of the steps between the Civil Rights movement and Obama becoming president. Its like one of those movies shown in schools meant more to inspire real investigation rather than delivering it. The film highlights an everyman, a guy who actually does nothing more heroic than showing up for work everyday ... but this guy's job is at the White House (for the purposes of this work suddenly epicenter to one American era's charge at the dream outlined in the Constitution, when in fact they barely kept in step) and therein "the hook". Whitaker and Winfrey are the glue in this historical stampbook and they don't do badly at all, but there are dozens of stories here, most only briefly glanced at, and the episodic quality distances the proceedings, though one or the other is bound to entertain somewhat. As it is the work becomes a bittersweet memorial to days - and people - when hope for the better living for all was somehow a palpable thing felt in the air, a magic trick come true ... and just what kind of frightening days they were.

Now, I'm going to say two things that many critics may be afraid to say, for whatever reason:

1."Precious" was wildly overrated.
2.With "The Butler", Lee Daniels has officially become a worse director than Tyler Perry.

How is it possible to ruin a movie with an Oscar bait subject matter that should be considered the film equivalent of a layup? Ask director Lee Daniels. Originally slated to be directed by Spike Lee (or course) "The Butler" (now "Lee Daniels' The Butler") chronicles the story of Cecil Gaines (an African American) from his humble beginnings working on a plantation in the South, to his longstanding career as a butler in the White House, where he served under eight different presidents. Based on Wil Haygood's article "A Butler Well Served by This Election", Daniels has already stated that while the movie itself is set against historical events, it is a work of fiction. And though that fact doesn't have any correlation as to whether or not this is a good film, if you come out of this having a deep admiration for "Lee Daniels' The Butler" solely on the basis that you believe it to be based on a true story, then this news may allow you to see how mediocre of a film it really is.

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Cecil Gaines: I'm working for the white man to make things better for us.

"One quiet voice can ignite a revolution."

Lee Daniel's The Butler is a nice and different angled look at the civil rights revolution of the 1960's through the eyes of a White House butler named Cecil Gaines. The movie has a nice resourcefulness and what really stands out is the acting by Forrest Whitaker. Everything else is average or in some cases below average. No other performance is great, although Cuba Gooding Jr. and, surprisingly, Oprah Winfrey were both good. It was weird to see Oprah guzzling alcohol and smoking cigarettes though.

This movie follows the life of Cecil Gaines, who was born on a plantation in the late 1910's and worked on the cotton field alongside his parents. When his mother is raped and father is killed, the owner of the plantation tells him she's going to make him into a "house n*****." She does and he is excellent at it. After growing up, he winds up in Washington D.C. where the White House maitre'd is impressed by him and hires him on as a butler, where he serves through many different presidential administrations. In the background his son is in the south and is a vital piece of the civil rights movement, of which his father disapproves.

Sometimes the movie came of as just overly silly. John Cusack as Richard Nixon? Robin Williams as Eisenhower? Are you kidding? I like both actors, but come on. James Marsden wasn't s horrible choice for Kennedy and Liev Shriver was an okay Lyndon Johnson. As for Alan Rickman as Reagan, I guess it was what the fuck ever at that point. The movie had a lot of funny moments that were good funny, instead of ridiculous funny too though. 

The Butler is a touching and inspiring tale about a resilient and strong willed man. I like the angle Daniel's takes to put another spin on the civil rights movie and the themes are strong. Plus Forrest Whitaker is phenomenal. His performance is funny, sad, and touching. The character in and of itself is interesting enough, but throw in Whitaker's performance and there's something truly special. I wish the rest of the movie would have surrounded it a little better, but it was still a really beautiful movie that I enjoyed.

Well-acted, well-paced, and featuring enough comic relief to balance out some violent scenes, The Butler is powerful--albeit at times repetitive--and deftly blends the plot with snapshots of our nation's presidents and turbulent history.

Before I begin my review, I feel the need to come to the defense of Oscar-nominated director Lee Daniels (Precious). Despite what Internet message boards and detractors may have you believe, it was never the man's intention to insert his name into the title of his latest film, Lee Daniels' The Butler. Warner Brothers claimed copyright ownership over the title of The Butler. The MPAA mediates title discrepancies in cases where one movie could clearly be confused for another. However, Warner Brothers' claims a 1915 silent short film in their vault by the same name. Is anyone in the year 2013 really going to pay a ticket for the Butler and reasonably expect a silent short that's almost 100 years old? Rather than pay a financial settlement, The Weinstein Company decided to alter the original title, adding the director's name. This isn't The Butler. Now it's Lee Daniels' The Butler. So before I get into the thick of my review, I'd like to absolve Daniels of Tyler Perry-levels of hubris. You'll excuse me for just referring to it as The Butler throughout the duration of this review, not to be confused with a 1915 short film.

From Harry Truman to Ronald Reagan, one man served them all and his name is Cecil Gaines (Forrest Whitaker). He was a White House butler for over 30 years, even attending a state dinner at the behest of Nancy Reagan. Cecil grew up on a Georgia cotton plantation and moved up the ranks in high-class service. His wife, Gloria (Oprah Winfrey), wishes her husband would worry more about his own home than the White House. Cecil's two sons, Louis (David Oyelowo) and Charlie (Elijah Kelley), have very different views of their father. Louis feels like dear old dad is too close to the men of power, and Louis is going to do what he can on the frontlines of change.

I'm sure everyone had good intentions with this movie, but I walked away with the overwhelming impression that The Butler was too heavy-handed, too corny, and too mishandled with its plot construction for it to be the effective drama all desired. I also know that my opinion is of a minority, but that has never bothered me as a critic. Let's start with the biggest handicap the film has going, and that's the fact that its central character, the titular Butler, is too opaque for a biopic. Early on, Cecil rises through the ranks of black service workers because of his skill, and that skill is none other than "having a room feel empty with [him] inside it." I'm not downplaying the man's dedication, or the culture he grew up in that preferred their black workers to be silent, but here is a movie where the man's claim to fame is that he served eight presidents but he was in the background for all that history. I wasn't expecting Cecil to lean over and go, "Mr. President, that Voting Rights Act might be a good idea, and I'll help ya with it." He is just sort of there. I was expecting him to have some larger significance, especially in his own life, but here's the kicker: by the end of the movie, you're left with the impression that all of his years of service were for naught. Cecil comes to the realization that his son, who he has sparred with for decades, was right and he was wrong. Is this the intended point? My colleague Ben Bailey will argue this is Daniels' subversive intent, to undermine the tenets of typical biopics, to fashion an anti-biopic. I am not as convinced.

The problem is that Cecil is a passive character, which makes him the least interesting character in his own story. He served eight presidents, yes, but what else can you say about him as presented? What greater insights into life, himself, or politics does he have during those years with seven different presidential administrations? I cannot tell. I was thoroughly astounded that Cecil, as a character, was boring. I suspect this is why screenwriter Danny Strong (Recount, Game Change) chose to split Cecil's story with his son, Louis. Here is a character on the front lines of the Civil Rights movement, getting chased by mobs, beaten, sprayed with firehouses. Here is an active character that wants to make a difference. He also happens to be mostly fictional.

While the film opens with the phrase "inspired by a true story" you should be wary. Upon further inspection, very little is as it happened. I think all true stories, when adapted to the confines of a two-hour film narrative, are going to have to be modified, and pure fidelity to the truth should not get in the way of telling a good story, within reason. I don't have an issue with Louis being fictional, but it points to the larger problem with the biopic of such an opaque man. The real-life Cecil, Eugene Allen, had one son who went to Vietnam and married a former Black Panther. Strong splits the difference, supplying two sons with different paths. Because of his invention, this means Louis has the benefit of being present at a plethora of famous Civil Rights events, like the Woolworth counter sit-in, the Freedom Rider bus burning, and the assassination of both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Seriously, he's in the same motel room with MLK in Memphis. With the exception of the Woolworth sit-in, the Civil Rights events feel like minor pit stops, barely spending any time to develop. It ends up feeling like a facile Forrest Gump-like trip through the greatest hits of the Civil Rights movement.

This narrative expediency also translates to the supporting characters in The Butler. Beyond Cecil, Louis, and Gloria, there aren't any characters that last more than one or two scenes. Cecil's White House co-workers, played by Cuba Gooding Jr. (Red Tails) and Lenny Kravitz (The Hunger Games), provide amiable comic relief but little else to the narrative. Terrence Howard (Dead Man Down) has an affair with Gloria and then is never seen again. That affair, by the way, is also never referenced again nor does it have any further ramifications with the relationship between Cecil and Gloria. So then what was the point? There is a litany of famous faces playing real people, but they're all in and out before you know it. The actors portraying the presidents are more an entertaining diversion than anything of real substance. Alan Rickman (Harry Potter) as Reagan gets the closest in the physical resemblance game, though I strongly doubt Reagan, as presented in the film, sat down and openly admitted he was wrong to his African-American service workers. John Cusack (The Raven) as Nixon is a hoot. The movie speeds right through the Ford and Carter administrations, so I'll play my own game of casting (Ford: Dan Akroyd; Carter: Billy Bob Thornton). The presidents, like the clear majority of supporting players, don't stick around long enough to leave an impression. It's as if our prior knowledge of these famous faces is meant to serve as characterization. Beyond the immediate Gaines family, you don't feel like you're getting to know anyone.

Then you bring in Daniels as director and the man has not shown much of a penchant for, let's call, subtlety. This is, after all, the same man who directed Nicole Kidman in the ways of urinating upon Zac Efron. A coherent tone has often been elusive in Daniels' films, which veer into wild, loud, sometimes clashing melodrama. The most clashing thing in The Butler are the matching 1970s and 80s fashion that will burn your eyes. He tones down his wilder sensibilities but The Butler is an especially earnest movie; but overly earnest without earned drama usually begets a corny movie, and that's what much of The Butler unfortunately feels like. The significance of the Civil rights movement and the bravery of the ordinary men and women, and children, fighting for equality cannot be overstated. These were serious heroes combating serious hate. I expect a serious movie, yes, but one that isn't so transparent about its Staid Seriousness. The Butler is very respectful to history (fictional additions aside) but too often relies on the historical context to do the heavy lifting. It also hurts when the film is so predictable. At one point, I thought to myself, "I bet Cecil's other son gets shipped to Vietnam and probably dies." Mere seconds after this thought, young Charlie Gaines says he's going to Vietnam. I'll leave it to you to discover his eventual fate.

Daniels' true power as a director is his skill with actors. The man nurtured Mo'Nique into an Academy Award-winning actress. From top to bottom, no actor in this film delivers a bad performance, which is a real accomplishment considering its stable of speaking roles. Whitaker (Repo Men) is the anchor of the movie and he puts his all into a character that gives him little to work with. He brings a quiet strength and dignity to Cecil, able to draw you in even as he's presented so passively and ultimately perhaps in the wrong. Winfrey hasn't been acting onscreen since 1998's Beloved. Gloria is an underwritten part but she does the most with it and I'd like to see more of Oprah the actress more often. Another highlight is Oyelowo (Jack Reacher) as the defiant son fighting for what he believes is right. I want to also single out former America's Next Top Model contestant Yaya Alafia as Louis' girlfriend and eventual Black Power participant, Carol. She's got real potential as an actress and if she gets the right role she could breakout and surprise people.

Lee Daniels' The Butler (just one last time for feeling) is an earnest, emotional, but ultimately unsatisfying picture and it's mostly because of its title figure. The figure of Cecil Gaines is not the kind of man that the entire perspective of the Civil Rights movement can be hung onto as an allegory. He's treated as background of his own story. If the filmmakers wanted to highlight the life of a man who grew up on a cotton plantation, worked in the White House, and who lived long enough to see an African-American be president, well then tell me that story. But they don't. I think Daniels and Strong knew the limitations of their central figure, which is why the son's role was invented to provide a more active perspective outside the hallowed walls of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. In the end, I really don't know what the message is, because the one I'm left with is that Cecil Gaines realizes late in life how wrong he was, not just with his son, but his faith in the office of the presidency. I doubt the majority of filmgoers are going to walk away with this message. While well acted and with a sharp eye for period details, The Butler is earnest without having earned your emotions.

Nate's Grade: C

The Butler is probably the most hyped film of the year. People started paying attention when it was announced that Oprah would play a major role, and it only went uphill from there, with an all-star cast including Terrence Howard, Alan Rickman, Robin Williams, and John Cusack, to name a few. This, along with the director of 2008's Precious, set the stage for a film that many assumed was destined for greatness.

They were right and wrong. In many respects, this is one of the best films of the year. The performances (for the most part) are impeccable, and does more than any other aspect of the movie to draw you into one of the most volatile periods in American history. On the other hand, the script seems to constantly leapfrog between genuinely touching and laughably cliche, leaving the film in the uncomfortable position of being unintentionally at odds with itself. Overall, while this movie will surely walk away with a good number of nominations, whether or not it has earned them is, unfortunately, highly debatable.

I had been putting off seeing LEE DANIELS' THE BUTLER for two completely different reasons:

- Daniels' name in the title smacks of narcissism, a great agent, and ridiculous proprietary conversations surrounding the 1916 film, THE BUTLER. Besides, if you're going to go that far, then for godsakes, call it LEE DANIELS' THE BUTLER BASED ON THE ARTICLE A BUTLER WELL SERVED BY THIS ELECTION BY WILL HAYGOOD.

- the trailer gave me a FORREST GUMP vibe, a film I consider one of the worst to ever win the Best Picture Oscar

I'm happy to report, that although both films are quick triptychs through historical events, THE BUTLER had an astoundingly emotional pull over more. The beauty, as always, is in execution and tone. Daniels', working with far more conventional material and technique here than he did with PRECIOUS, get highly engaging, naturalistic performances from most of his cast, and stays laser focused on the arc of Cecil Gaines, a butler who served 8 presidents while evolving in his position on the Civil Rights Movement. Forest Whitaker is subtle and heartbreaking as a conflicted man who comes to understand the power he wields in what is on the surface a subservient profession. Equally as vivid is Oprah Winfrey as Gaines' wife Gloria, who has consistently dug deep and impressed me every time she performs. I wish she would do it more often, because she is a galvanizing acting talent.

Sure, the film skips through eras with many frequently-used signposts, and yes, the GUMP/ZELIG coincidences get a little out of hand, but because Daniels and screenwriter Danny Strong have taken their time with the characters and made you care, it adds up to a satisfying, tear-jerking experience. Conventional for sure, and the score by Rodrigo Leao could have dialed back on its John Williams meets Aaron Copland inspirational overkill, but there's beauty in a film that wears its heart so boldly on its sleeve. You can't help but feel for a marginalized, murdered and enslaved race of people who faced such intense hatred and discrimination. Looking at modern day Russia or a peek inside any fundamentalist church in the U.S.A. today, and you'll see how much more work there is to do to stop such systematic stigmatization.

Many will quibble that this is just a conventional miniseries, but I would argue that Andrew Dunn's work as the cinematographer is so well-realized, I felt as if I was eavesdropping on the Gaines' household. The makeup and hair, often tricky in a decade-hopping piece, are finely calibrated, although I DID wonder why Jim Gleason's character as Cecil's boss never seems to age a day throughout the film. In a cast brimming with all-star cameos, it felt all of a piece, because the focus was always on Cecil.

This is strong, assured, Hollywood filmmaking long gone out of style, but welcomed back in my eyes.

The Butler is a film that shows that a silent hero can be deadliest, and that through love, friendship and family we can achieve great things in life.

Based on Will Haygood's Washington Post article, "A Butler Well Served by This Election," which you can find online. In reality Eugene Allen, who served for 34 years at the White House under seven Presidents, had only one son. Forest Whitaker plays the fictionalized Cecil Gaines, who fights for equal pay for the many black White House staff members, struggles to hold his marriage together with Gloria (Winfrey) due to long work hours, and strives to be an authoritative father to two sons, Louis (Oyelowo) and Charlie (Kelley). Charlie is the "good" son, who does not rebel against his parents and dies in Vietnam. Louis, played with inner turmoil by David Oyelowo, meanwhile, joins the civil rights movement, the black panther party, and later becomes a congressman to continue to protest for equal rights. Carol (Alafia) is a girl, who stays by Louis's side through most of it. So, a large portion of the movie involves this dual storyline of the different methods father and son use to push for a better life. This is pure dramatic license. In one scene Louis talks to MLK Jr., played by Nelsan Ellis, who says something about being a black servant with a strong work-ethic for a predominantly white society is itself a subversive act. Since the story spans some eighty years, the age makeup plays an important role. It is done exceptionally well. Cuba Gooding Jr. and Lenny Kravitz play two other butlers at the White House, who appear to have worked there almost as long as Cecil. A lot has been said already of Williams, Cusack, Marsden, Kelly, Schreiber, Rickman, and Fonda portraying U.S. Presidents and First Ladies. Some of their scenes are comic and whether they really supported civil rights is simplified. However, Whitaker is the star, and focusing on his emotions, which he attempts to hide behind "a second face" in order to keep politics out of the White House (lol), is what will really draw you into the drama if you let it.

An incredibly powerful drama of the true story of an African American butler who served eight presidents. Forest Whitaker yet again delivers an award winning portrayal of White House butler, Cecil Gaines, and is backed by an impressive A-list cast such as Oprah Winfrey, Alan Rickman, Robin Williams, John Cusack and more. The film is stark and emotional, set against a backdrop of racism and the civil rights movement. Looks set to be nominated for several awards.

I'm sorry to say, but the premise of this film mixed with the AMAZING talent that makes up the cast has the potential for GREATNESS, but unfortunately, the movie was lacklustre. I felt that the emotion was heavy-handed. It was really nothing more than a brief history lesson summarized in two hours with a couple dramatic plotlines added in like father-son relationship problems and racism. This movie should have provoked more feelings from me or caused an in-depth conversation after the credits rolled but instead all I could say after it was over was, "I feel like I just watched two hours of propaganda." I mean, the very last line of the film was, "YES WE CAN." I was interested in the end why Cecil Gaines and his wife were such a strong Obama supporters. Was it simply because he was black??? Or did they even care about his politics? (I thought Gaines said earlier in the film that he wasn't a political man?) I also was very intruiged with the story line of the Black Panthers and wanted the film to go deeper into that subplot. Parts of this film were disturbing enough to evoke strong emotion from me but in the end I feel like the moral of the story was, "African Americans are awesome" and that's not very much to walk away with.

Despite serving up more fiction that fact, The Butler shines up an engrossing semi-historical tale that sings the truth even through some overbearing strains. Those who call it a Civil Rights Forrest Gump or a Black Power Zelig aren't completely off of the mark. Despite some stunt-casting and arch sermonizing, however, The Butler still manages to tell a decades-spanning story that thankfully takes a brutally honest look at the fight for equality. Though laughable at times, the pantomime performances of the presidents are only backing vocals to a woefully soulful main character brilliantly brought to life here. Granted, the REAL titular character didn't have a son who died in Vietnam or another Black Panther party son who ran for Congress, but the finished product ultimately puts forth a well shot film worth seeing and a story damn well worth hearing.

In the this PG-13-rated historic drama loosely based on a real life Washington Post article, an African-American White House butler (Whitaker) bears witness to numerous notable events of the 20th century.

The film's biggest deficit comes down to the cast. Star power might equal bigger box office but not necessarily better performances. Robin Williams was more believable as a woman in Mrs. Doubtfire than as general-turned-U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower. Likewise, having John Cusack, Jane Fonda, James Marsden, Live Schreiber, and Alan Rickman involved doesn't add much other than marketability. Thankfully, Forrest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey keep the action grounded even when saddled with stock lines like "This is HIS world, we're just living in it."

Bottom line: The Butler Does It.

The film was good but it could have been so much better. It kind of reminded me of movies like Forrest Gump and Bobby. I found a big problem with the structure of the film. The pacing was off too. The first 30 minutes was too slow. Once Forest begins to work at the White House, then the film picks up. Also the last 1/3rd of the film felt too rushed. I also felt some of the make up in the film wasn't good. I also felt that some actors like Live Schreiber, John Cusack, and Alan Rickman were miscast.

Forrest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, and David Oyelowo give Oscar caliber performances in the film. I also thought that Cuba Gooding Jr., Lenny Kravitz, Robin Williams, James Marsden, and Jane Fonda provide solid supporting work in the film. I found it interesting that the only 2 Presidents in the film not played by actors were Jimmy Carter and Obama.

The film is worth checking out, especially for the performances.

Another in a long line of civil rights dramas, The Butler tells the inspired true story of a black butler, serving eight presidents in the White House. Through his story and experience, we see the evolution of the civil rights movement, as well as the change in attitude of the black community to civil rights issues. It's an interesting film; what it does right, it does inconsistently, what it does wrong, it manages to mask. The result is a film that is undeniably uneven, but also often compelling.

The best thing that can be said of The Butler is the cast, headlined by Forest Whitaker. He completely inhibits his character, bringing us a conflicted man, but also one of optimism, charm, and an unrelenting affable personality. The supporting cast is excellent all around, with, surprisingly enough, Oprah Winfrey having a deeply effectively portrayal of his troubled, yet compassionate, wife.

What the Butler manages to do well is interweave these characters to give us a canvass of the civil right movement and the personalities involved, with a particular emphasis on the dynamics of the community itself. The problem, however, is that this sense of nuance is sometimes lost on the overall narrative. We are treated to some interesting personalities of the presidents, yet their exact relationship to Cecil remains elusive.

My biggest issue with the film is its last act, in which its' liberal sensibilities get away from itself. The film becomes preachy and heavy-handed, and crosses the line when it politicizes the issues themselves. Particularly troubling was the largely unflattering and mischaracterized portrayal of Regan, absurdly implying racial insensitivity, grasping at ridiculous straws such as his opposition of South African sanctions to prove this. This is followed by a tacked on montage featuring prominently President Obama, feeling like a campaign commercial.

Overall, the film does enough to overcome its later missteps, having an undeniably emotional appeal.

3.5/5 Stars

Lee Daniels' : The Butler is most definitely on of these movies that you have GOT to experience in this lifetime. There is no escaping this. Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker) a butler for The White House lets us take a nostalgic trip with him and his family through the years of his life. While America was rebuilding it self through the Civil Rights riots and marches...Cecil Gaines, his wife Gloria Gaines (Oprah Winfrey) travel through time testing the waters of the changes that tested the bonds as a family. The effects that never seemed to affect Cecil as he performed his duty as The Butler through several administrations being employed in The White House. Several all star acting performances that are worthy for SEVERAL Oscar nods from every direction. Notably a must see.

Well acted but directed with a heavy hand this "based on a true story" film was a bit all over the map but hit all the right emotional buttons. Forrest Whitaker is always reliable to give superb acting performances and he really carries the load in LDTB...Oprah not so much. The actors playing their two sons were also stellar. (9-6-13)