Tuesday, January 20, 2009. Barack Obama is inaugurated in front of the planet, and forgets how to use words properly. Classic BO. I work with many American folk and they each have very mixed and viciously strong feelings regarding each and every presidential candidate, present day or otherwise (honestly, a child once told me about their frustration surrounding the Monroe birthday song saga), which more often than not is based on a person's education, social class and whether they own a gun and wear dungarees to parties or not. But, the history of the nation's Commander in Chief has always interested me as well, particularly in the wake of great books, movies and documentaries based on the country's brief but colourful history.
Last night, it was the turn of Lee Daniel's The Butler to dedicate my eyes to for 2hrs and I had my reservations. Almost every movie I've seen in recent times involving an ensemble cast of renown stars totally, utterly, and unequivocally sucks Chihuahua nuts. Mars Attacks, Be Cool, Oceans 12. Little bit 13. When I saw the patriotic trailer and star spangled banner-laced movie posters scattered around town, I didn't allow myself to become too interested for that reason. Curiosity got the better of me though. So, I did it for Bush :)
The story is loosely based on the life of Eugene Allen; a Butler who served under 7 different Presidents during his time at the White House, with original central character Cecil Gaines played by Ghost Dog, Forest Whitaker. Opening with the horrendous nature of slavery and black oppression in America's early history; Cecil is a small boy who upon witnessing his father's demise, is offered the chance to learn the trade of "service" which it appears is very different to my time spent making balloon animals and cleaning up ice-cream sick during my small stint at TGI Fridays. Cecil rises through the ranks at government drinking holes until he is offered the chance to join the White House staff, under President Eisenhower played by the balding Robin Williams (hats off to the make-up team because as we all know, R.W is basically a human Sasquatch).
Married to Oprah Winfrey's character, Gloria, and with sons David and Elijah (played solidly by David Oleyowo and Elijah Kelley); Cecil experiences 30yrs of social progression first-hand from an insider's perspective. Influential leaders come and go such as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, endearing first lady's such as Jackie Kennedy and Nancy Reagan, not to mention his like-minded co-workers which happen to be Cuba Gooding Jr. (where's he been?) and Lenny Kravitz who without his nose ring and early noughties tinted sunglasses, is almost unrecognisable. I could list the contributors who played the roles of Reagan, Kennedy, Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson but I've got a haircut scheduled so glance at these 2 posters please. Their cameos are mostly harmless.
Whitaker portrays Gaines very well. He's calm and not one to lose his composure in almost any given situation. Although he's foreseen by some as merely a "butler", he's wise beyond his years having overcome his tumultuous childhood acknowledging that every day is a blessing. He's in the thick of it all when his son becomes a Black Panther, his youngest is killed in the Vietnam War and his wife totally warrants being busted on the programme, Cheaters. Forest conveys the emotive nature of these difficult situations, effortlessly. Winfrey is also very good as his lonely alcoholic cheating mess of a wife, turned supportive flair-rocking other half.
Ultimately, I enjoyed it. It was simple. The story is what it is, and unsurprisingly, we're left feeling that the US is founded on freedom hence they now have a black President, which is rather cringey, but sound. You are left feeling proud of a country which has risen from the ashes of its awfully prejudiced past. However, for me it didn't feel as heart-warming a historical drama as Forrest Gump which was a gorgeous film due to its toe-dipping of multiple eras and pop-ups of famous figures, outside of politics. It felt like Daniel's had been forced to lean on the fast forward x2 key and rush through pivotal moments we all wanted to see develop just a little too quickly, whereas other films in the same genre like JFK gave such gravitas to the assassination of Kennedy, you were utterly entranced. Director, Lee Daniel's, having worked on critically acclaimed pictures such as Precious, clearly has a lot of talent with actors eager to work with him and I'm looking forward to seeing more of his movies in future.
The Butler is a good film and has goose bumps aplenty, you'll gasp and become infuriated at the awful nature of racism in the 20th century and find it fun to watch a collection of historical figures brought back to life outside of Disney's Hall of Presidents in the Magic Kingdom (animatronics at its finest, trust). Oh, and Terence Howard's character will remind you how lucky we are to have such good dental care these days because that dead tooth in his grill is just awful.
Lee Daniel's The Butler receives 3/5 Macho Man Randy Savages because it proves that even President's can appreciate the necessity for a decent cup of tea.
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