It Was Nice To Go To The Movies

I used to love going to the dollar theatre near my house but I haven't been there for years. Since talking my mother into reading 'The Help', I had no choice but to take her to the movie when it reached the cheap theatre. I went in with some worries that the lack of car crashes would leave my mind wandering but that didn't happen.

This was a beautifully acted and filmed movie about a group of maids who worked for wealthy white families in Jackson Mississippi. Despite having spend decades raising and caring for the children of their employers, many black maids are treated with contempt and even after thirty plus years of service they could be dismissed out of hand for the most minor of infractions.


Coming back home from college, young Skeeter (Emma Stone) wants to be a writer and finds the perfect subject matter in the stories these maids have to tell about their years working for white families. Of course they can't sign their name to the book so it's published under the title Anonymous.


This script is a showcase for the actresses who play the main characters. I expect many nominations for Octavia Spencer (as Minny the maid) and especially Bryce Dallas Howard who shines while playing a totally reprehensible person.


I absolutely loved the relationship between social misfit Celia Foote (Jessica Chastain), left, and her housekeeper Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer). Their personal story arc is very satisfying.


This is the kind of movie that makes me wish I had a female friend that could act as my 'beard' when I want to go have a good cry in a movie theatre.

8/10