Review: The Help

***

Every Year, says the book of box office law, there must be at least twenty-four rom-coms, five explosive action movies, seven derivative kids films, six films for 'the lads', two inspirational sports films (Have you seen Senna yet, you probably should, it's the business)  and one civil rights movie. That is a very long and arduous way of me saying that The Help fills that gap quite nicely and can competently hold it's own in the ring with previous attempts at making us all feel a bit bad about the way we treat each other. But when introduced to Mississippi Burning and Malcolm X at the Million Man March, it's given a condecending tap on the head and told to run off and play with Calender Girls while the grown ups talk (Not to be confused with Grown Ups, the Adam Sandler movie, he's under the table ramming wotsits in his ears and sniggering) ........Back on topic me thinks....

Skeeter (Emma Stone) is looking for work as a journalist but has her sights set on writing a novel that will set the world alight. While everyone of Skeeter's friends have stayed in their hometown of Jackson, Mississippi, chasing the perfect housewives dream, she is being question by her mother about her sexuality and being pushed into blind dates by her friends that always fall through. So far this all sounds suspiciously like 'The Devil Wears Prada' but wait, there is more. Skeeter's childhood Nanny has disappeared and she questions the excuse her parents have given her. Inspired by the morally questionable treatment of the African-American maids she starts writing a book from the point of view of 'The Help' The good and the bad.

I would talk about the performances and how they are emotional and funny when the need be but ultimately that's all it is. It fills a purpose and is never all that memorable. In one case I would suggest the acting is pretty laughable but that's one isolated incident . What it boils down to though is Emma Stone is pretty and cute, Viola Davis is serious and moving, Bryce Howard is passively evil and occasionally pantomimey and Octavia Spencer is big, bubbly and says all the things that make you say "Oh snap".

The Help is a funny one to call. On the one hand I sat there for two hours and twenty minutes and never felt bored or glanced down to check what time it was, however on that other hand it's pretty simple and you have seen it all before probably done much better. It's interesting in some ways to see the more womanly perspective on civil rights in the 60s, but then it's a fictional film. The best way to describe 'The Help' so that you know what you are in for 'Calender Girls' fighting for civil rights rather than cancer. It takes itself a bit more serious and it's ratio of drama to comedy is a bit higher than that of the nude WI but at it's heart it's a warming cup of tea that says "You've done terrible things but it's all good now" all I want to say to that cup of tea is "It's not really is it" Big words to come out of a white middle class teenage boy but this is a pretty simple film that will win people over cause it brings up serious things now and then but then quickly moves on cause it doesn't want you to feel too bad.

JO