xanthevilla Lee Daniels', the Butler, is an amazing film that includes the right amount of playful banter to make it a light-hearted civil rights film, rather than a bash on racial segregation. The cinematography of this movie helps speak to the audience, evoking the emotions felt in the actual times of the civil rights movement. The graininess of the movie's quality adds to the mood, where it makes us feel poor and insubstantial, almost like African-Americans back then. In my opinion, it does a very good job explaining what things were like back then, and how they evolved with new presidents. It is interesting to start the movie in the late 1800's and move throughout time up until the late 70's. This film teaches about bigotry in an entertaining, yet mellow way where it does not feel like a racial attack or mockumentary. Overall, I highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes documentaries but cannot stand the basic, boring commentated kind.

elizrug Since this movie is considered "loosely based" on the story of a man who was a White House butler, it should say so at the beginning. There are other ways to share the story of the fight for civil rights, there is no need to make up a false past about a real person. Why couldn't we just see the true story of Eugene Allen? I'm sure that story would have been interesting enough. I appreciate the need to tell the world about the fight for civil rights, but that should not have been done at the expense of a great and factual account of the interesting life of Eugene Allen.

blumdeluxe I love when movies have a story to tell and "The Butler" surely is one of those based on a biography worth being spread. The story of a honorable man, serving a discriminating nation with such loyalty that he almost loses his son over it is definitely touching and relatable.The film touches a lot of important questions, now more than ever, of how a nation defines itself and of who is to be part of political and public decision-making and civil rights.Unfortunately, while I liked how the movie tries to tell the simultaneity of historic events, I found it a bit stiff, especially when it came to the more personal parts concerning the family itself or the relationship between husband and wife. As prominent as the cast is, I am not always sure if the film really benefits from it.All in all it is a story worth telling and it raises important issues, therefore it's surely worth a watch. But there would have been even better potential in my eyes.

Roland L. Slade III The movie was about a man who grew up in the south on a cotton field with his mother and father David Banner (Earl Gaines) and Mariah Carey (Hattie Pearl) both played the roles. Forest Whittaker was the Butler, Cecil Gaines. He got out of the south by his skills he learned from being a house slave, diner servant, and then became hotel bell boy/bus boy. He was scouted out by a man who seen his skills was fit for the White House. Being a butler in the white house he took with so much pride. Butler went through over 3 decades of president's administrations he seen firsthand what was happening with America and how it was changing forever. He had a wife and two sons; wife was Oprah Winfrey (Gloria Gaines) and sons were David Oyelowo (Louis Gaines) and Isaac White (Charlie Gaines). The theme of the movie was cultural, political, historic, and slow due to the story telling element. With the theme being political there was displaying of decisions and executive orders each president did for the country. Like how President Kennedy made it legal for all colors and races to eat and drink at the same locations and fountains. With Cecil's son being one of the "freedom riders" (group which was similar to the black lives matter movement currently) they tried to make a difference culturally for America. Anytime Cecil was at a high time or point in his life the camera angles were high and the lighting was bright. Anytime he was at a low point the camera angles and lighting were low and dim. For instance when Cecil helped get the black help's pay raised he was talking to the head engineer. The Head engineer looked at him lowly so the angle and light was low but after he told him the president said to take it up with him and he ran into the First lady the camera angle was high as he was praised for his accomplishment by her.