The Help

The Help (2011) starring Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, Jessica Chastain. In 1963 in Jackson, Miss., Miss Skeeter Phelan (Stone), an aspiring writer, gets the idea of telling the story of "colored" maids from the perspective of the help. She enlists Aibileen (Davis) to tell her stories, and through her a number of other maid/nannies. The movie does a pretty good job of reproducing the book, although of course few films ever live up to the books they're based on. There are some notable changes in this movie, but I won't go into them in detail. You have to give the film credit for providing acting jobs for women, and for black women. It was enjoyable to watch. The subtitles are good, but I chose the closed captions, which I prefer when they are available. Grade: A-