Reel Reviews | Lee Daniels’ The Butler

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The Butler 4

On the latest episode of Reel Shorts, six Oscar winners and several Oscar nominees get together to tell the true story of a White House servant and his journey through history portrayed in Lee Daniels’ The Butler.

Audio Review

      Lee Daniels' The Butler Review - FilmGordon Radio

The fictional Cecil Gaines is based on Eugene Allen who worked at the White House during eight presidential terms from 1952 to 1986. He started as a “pantry man,” was promoted to butler, and then Maître d’hôtel.

Directed by Lee Daniels, written by Danny Strong, and featuring an ensemble cast including Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelewo, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Lenny Kravitz and a host of other decorated actors.

Grade: C+

2 thoughts on “Reel Reviews | Lee Daniels’ The Butler”

  1. C+??? first, i must remind myself to NEVER take a class from you. for me, this is one of the best movies i’ve seen this year. the all-star cast nor the film disappointed me. the big names in the film were not a distraction for me, but rather it made it fun to identify the stars with their character roles, plus the humor from different characters helped to soften some of the harder parts of history.

    the screening i was at had people clapping during one scene and clapping again at the end. i’m not an Oprah fan, but she was good in her role, and she and Whitaker had great chemistry together. i cried a little when Winfrey’s character died. that was a sad scene, along with the next when Whitaker’s ironing his tie without his wife.

    this is an excellent film and it should generate some oscar nominations. perhaps you should have been at my screening; your eyes might have seen differently to rate it higher.

    1. This film is a clear example of the disconnect between critics and the audience on “event” movies. There is a difference between people who must critque work and those who are there to simply enjoy and experience. I like the film, I just didn’t LOVE it like the audience. Check out this story, which lays out many of my and other critics’ arguments about Lee Daniels’ The Butler: http://variety.com/2013/film/news/how-lee-daniels-the-butler-forces-americans-to-confront-civil-rights-1200581559/

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