"Inspiring if not inspired, Lee Daniels' The Butler is a sort of Readers' Digest overview of the 20th century American civil rights movement centered on an ordinary individual with an extraordinary perspective. (...) And yet, even with all contrivances and obvious point-making and familiar historical signposting, Daniels' The Butler is always engaging, often entertaining and certainly never dull, the latter a fault for which neither the director nor the writer, thus far in their careers, can ever be accused. (...) Aging realistically as a years flip by, Whitaker remains locked within a narrow range due to his character's requisite discretion but creates a finely tuned portrait of a man for whom patience, fortitude and playing by the rules are paramount virtues; by the end, it emerges as a genuinely stirring performance. With her drunk scenes and sporadic venting of frustrations, Winfrey has more dramatic opportunities and is quite enjoyable to watch (...) Perhaps surprisingly -- and most jarringly, given real-life politics -- the best cameo of this nature comes from Jane Fonda, who is very good indeed as a gracious Nancy Reagan."
by Todd McCarthy in The Hollywood Reporter
"Lee Daniels' The Butler is an ambitious, sweeping period drama that manages to be incredibly affecting and feel as if the words ''For Your Consideration'' are stamped across every frame. (...) His wife (a beautifully nuanced Oprah Winfrey) is an alcoholic, and his older son (David Oyelowo) is a rebellious civil rights activist. (...) As Cecil, Whitaker is mesmerizing. The actor seems to shrink into his imposing frame, summoning a performance of quiet, bottled-up force. There's no question that Daniels, the director of 2009's Precious, deserves some of the credit for that. But as undeniably moving and powerful as his film is, it could have used more of that subtlety. The fact that he even comes close makes The Butler worth seeing."
by Chris Nashawaty in Entertainment Weekly
"The director Lee Daniels (Precious, The Paperboy) has never been one to use a subtle technique when an obvious one would work just as well. Daniels’ blunt, go-for-broke approach provides for many clunky moments (and some unintended chuckles) in his ambitious new film The Butler (...) The Butler can be preachy and mawkish, but it’s heartfelt and honest and moving, not to mention frequently funny. (And not just in those moments—cf., Cusack-as-Nixon—that we’re laughing at.) Winfrey’s performance as the blowsy, hard-drinking but essentially good-hearted Gloria isn’t exactly an accomplished feat of acting—you never forget she’s Oprah—but such is the talk-show legend’s verve and chutzpah that she makes Gloria consistently fun to be around (especially in the late scenes when she’s given the chance to dish out some dryly folksy old-lady humor). As for Whitaker, he takes the smart risk of underplaying a role that could easily have been milked for its tear-jerking potential."
by Dana Stevens in Slate
"Though it is a panorama that tilts more toward predictability than turbulence, “Lee Daniels’ the Butler” melds two views of civil rights battles: one watchful, the other protest-filled. Yet it results in a singularly full-hearted and moving film. (...) Daniels does a beautiful job with the understated poetry in the screenplay by Danny Strong (“Recount,” “Game Change”), never trivializing how the bigger stories of this country’s civil rights struggles are seen in Cecil’s eyes. Here, they are one and the same. Playing the soul behind those eyes, Whitaker is, as ever, remarkable. (...) And Winfrey shines as an everywoman edgily content with her life — one dictated by mid-20th century norms — but knowing things must change. (...) Marsden and Rickman fare best, and Jane Fonda makes a winning Nancy Reagan. (...) The power of “The Butler,” though, doesn’t rest with them. It’s in the way it personalizes a struggle younger viewers may only know from textbooks. The fight for equality, the film shows, was a daily challenge, with deafening change sometimes happening in the quietest moments."
by Joe Neumaier in New York Daily News
OSCAR POTENTIAL CATEGORIES:
- Best Picture
- Best Actor (Forest Whitaker)
- Best Supporting Actress (Oprah Winfrey)
- Best Supporting Actress (Jane Fonda)
- Best Adapted Screenplay
- Best Costume Design
BUT...
It isn't an "amazing" movie, but it is currently the number one at box-office (grossing $25M in its opening week), so it may get the same kind of traction The Help got a couple of years ago. Whitaker may not have a showy enough part in order to compete against most of the Best Actors contenders, but sometimes the AMPAS loves restrained performances. Oprah is back to the big-screen and, in spite of still "Hey, it's Oprah", she's popular and might be a serious contender for Best Supporting Actress. Fonda has a flashy cameo and quite seduces, but she will need huge support and a Best Picture nod in order to get nominated (it's not impossible, Dench won her Oscar for a 5 minute supporting performance). Adapted Screenplay is likely to happen thanks to the tone of the movie and the way it tells a story, while Costume Design is not impossible at all.
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