An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African American maids' point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis. Despite the great perfomances 'The Help' feels way too innocent or perhaps tries to skip the controversies? plus even tho the subject is quite interesting and very serious the film does use it as it really should and comes out on screen like you're seeing some kind of animated film or something like that and it's weird i guess. (5/10)

THE HELP is one of those feel-good Hollywood productions that always makes me feel cold inside instead. The sentimentality is overbearing and the shrill performances extremely off-putting to this viewer, with Bryce Dallas Howard and Jessica Chastain making me want to switch off every time while they're on screen. The film seems to have been made to assuage white guilt and looks at the plight of black maids in the American South during the 1960s, where they were regularly bullied and treated as lessers during the civil rights era. Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer give well judged performances but the story feels padded out and lifeless at times; it really didn't need to be two and a half hours long. Emma Stone's grating character gets too much screen time and seems a bit dim while the decent into bad taste humour at one point is something I couldn't forgive or come back from.

My mother's family, with the exception of my grandfather, and I almost everyone I ever met is perfectly portrayed in their bigotry and hatred of people of color. My father, being from a Slavic country and having emigrated here after WWII, was an exception as well. Perhaps having been mocked for his accent and being old when I was born he knew how hurtful it is to treat another human being as a second class citizen for being different, even though he was white and Catholic. I was harassed for the religion I was brought up in, rather than being some form of a Protestant. Southern hospitality is a farce because as soon as you walk away from someone who is landed gentry or if they feel you're different and lesser than them in some other way, they are laughing at you and saying the meanest things they can think up. I won't live in this awful place much longer, where they pay less, hate women and the KKK and Rebel Flags still are displayed with pride. The most hateful are the women and the most violent are the men. Of course there are exceptions, but the culture of racism and sexism are still alive 50+ years since the Civil Rights Act was passed. I work in healthcare, and there are even Indian doctors who still believe in the caste system, that the disabled and mentally ill are somehow less entitled to the basic quality of service than "normal" people. But that seems to be an American standard across the country these days, especially since the most recent president was elected. There's no changing this country in my lifetime, so it's off to Europe for me.Congratulations to this cast and crew for presenting a truly realistic story of what the South was and still is like.

I think this is a very eye-opening film, and a teaching tool that everyone should watch. This film is a real tear jerker, especially if you watch it more than once and really pay attention. The theme of this movie is about segregation, mistreatment, and generosity to others. Viola Davis (Aibileen) is a very intelligent and smart help, who has lost her son and is still dealing with the grief. Octavia Spencer (Minnie) is a great cook and is not afraid to speak her mind. Emma Stone (Skeeter) who is the only white young lady who just graduated from college and is not worrying about getting married and having babies is trying to pursue her career. These characters are the ones that make this movie a must see because they play their part very well. I think the theme of the Help and Steel Magnolia is very similar. The motif in this movie is very fitting and proper from the beginning to the end based on the way Bryce Dallas Howard (Hilly) talks and treated the colored help. Also, the lighting is great because it is clear and it differentiate between night and day.Overall this movie shows that there is some good people out there in the world who will go the extra mile to help others even when they could get in trouble for doing it.