The Help

[bklynred]

Well, for once in my life I can say I know what the author intended, and this isn't meant to be a white savior/magical Negro type story (and if Hollywood turned it into that, I ask you to give the book a chance at least). I didn't hear any of this murmuring when the book spent weeks on end on the NYT bestsellers list. Now there's a movie & lots of people are quick to stick it into this niche or pull out this trope. Of course, they're being paid to write reviews. No one wants to read about a well-balanced movie tackling difficult race relations at a time most Americans wish to forget. It's easier to chop it to bits, dismiss it, point out its flaws and more or less play to whatever fan base is reading the review. I'll be seeing it next week, hopefully with my mom.

[incognito]

Now there's a movie & lots of people are quick to stick into this niche or pull out this trope.

Well to be fair I wasn't aware of the book before the movie, as I don't pay attention to NYT bestseller lists. I wouldn't be surprised if that was true for a lot of people. (I mean, I read and all that jazz, but I've found that bestseller lists don't really cater to my tastes.)

No one wants to read about a well-balanced movie tackling difficult race relations at a time most Americans wish to forget. It's easier to chop it to bits, dismiss it, point out its flaws and more or less play to whatever fan base is reading the review.

Or it's possible that they do genuinely think the movie/book is problematic?

[bklynred]

Believe me, I don't rely on NYT lists, either, but as I know the author, every week it was *still* on the list I just continued to gawk. It only recently was released in paperback (probably in time for the movie?). I had to buy it used b/c it was out in hardcover for months, in a time when that just doesn't happen for books anymore (I say this from my background in publishing).

And my comments weren't directed to anyone in particular. Like I said, I'm biased. I may see the movie and think "Wow, they ruined Kitty's book bigtime." But with the cast? Janney? Viola Davis? It's doubtful. And there aren't many movies out there featuring African Americans that aren't produced/directed/written and starring Tyler Perry, so I'll see it to support the actors & actresses as much as I will the author.

ETA: It could be problematic, b/c race relations are problematic. Race relations in the deep south in the 50s/60s? Definitely. And no one ends up singing kumbaya at the end. But as for the author's handling of the issue? She wrote much of this from firsthand experience, and from a sincere place.

Now I'll step out of this thread, because I loved (and helped critique) Kitty's book. It wasn't perfect, but it was an intriguing read, and I was sorry when it was over.

[incognito]

I did hear that the trailer is misleading in that Emma Stone's character isn't as much of THE lead as she's made out to be, and that Viola Davis is just as much of a main character. But if that's true, then FUCK Hollywood's marketing pisses me off. And I just don't know if I want to spend the money to find out whether the other person was right or not. (e.g. I didn't spend money on The Blind Side but finally watched it when it came out on DVD, and ended up being glad that I hadn't.)

I get why you feel the way you do, blkynred. I'd probably feel the same if I had a personal connection to the author. But as I don't, it was the trailer's job to sell me on the movie and it so did not do that. It's funny, I first saw the trailer in the theater. The theater crowd was a particularly raucous, mostly POC bunch that was laughing and applauding and providing commentary after every other trailer and advert. But after The Help? Nothing. There was this dead, uncomfortable silence.

[Deleted]

I enjoyed reading two of those three links, the Bitch review was a little useless considering the writer hadn't read the book or seen the movie.

I read the book, and enjoyed it, but also found it lacking. Aibileen loses her job and feels liberated, instead of worried that she's now essentially unemployable. Losing her job is also the worst consequence of telling her story, which I think is very far removed from reality.

I'm torn about this movie; I'm glad for the opportunity to read other points of view and think critically about it, and I want to see Viola Davis's performance, but I know that a movie can't be as nuanced as the book when it comes to each characters' point of view.

[Deleted]

I haven't read the book and I don't care to see the movie. I've been trying to articulate why, but it boils down to this: I don't care to read another one of "our" stories told by someone else. If I want to know how it really was, I have many relatives who still live in the South who were the help and I can ask them.

I'm glad that the author got to tell her story and the actresses are working, but it's not really something I want to see.

[Babycakes]

I haven't read the book, and don't mind the telling of the story the way it is being told, but like incognito said upthread, the trailer is off putting. I doubt it's intentional, but it does come off as reverse magical Negro, better yet, kind white person saves the down-trodden blacks, and I just can't.

This entire story hits wayyyyy too close to home. My grandmother was a maid for a white family for over 20 years in the 50-70s in Mississippi. She raised a white family's kids and cleaned their house, all the while her mother stayed home to help her raise her own kids. It's created an "interesting" dynamic with some unresolved tensions in our family to say the least. Particularly with her oldest daughter who also took up the slack raising younger siblings, and cleaning the house, while her mother was off taking care of a white family. They understood it was what she needed to do to provide for them, and she often brought home hand me downs and stuff, but it's so weird. It seems like ancient history, but it's not. This is within the lifetime of people in my own family. It still trips me out when my granny talks about that era. She still sometimes refers to black people as colored. But I digress.

A "lighthearted" or "heart-warming" movie about race relations in the south during that time, however well intentioned, well acted, or well written, will not get my time or money. It just seems so condescending. That's the best word I can come up with at the moment.

[bklynred]

Wow, did a reviewer really describe it as lighthearted? Believe me, the book wasn't. It had some funny moments but the subject matter alone makes "lighthearted" a really trite and inappropriate description of it all. Ah well, I still recommend the book to those who have sworn off the movie already. The author alternates narration among the main characters. I was very surprised on how well she nailed a number of characters' voices: not only black women,but men of different races, and even white/Caucasian women of subtly different social standing. It's not an easy thing to do (and I can't write like that yet), but I never lost track of whose narrative I was reading; their voices were distinct and unique. I'm not saying it should be up for the Puiitzer, but the book, at least, had depth and left me considering the characters' futures after I'd finished reading it. That's the mark of successful story for me personally.

BTW, what's reverse magical negro? I know the original definition is used for movies like Bagger Vance or The Green Mile (although that may have been a more literal definition), basically any movie, book et al. where a black (or other minority) character mysteriously shows up and is used to get a (usually) caucasian character to have an eipiphany or a similarly deep, emotional revelation about him/herself. Would Skeeter be the reverse magical person in this case?

I've been surrounded by book club readers and other people who really enjoyed the book (without knowing my connection to it), so hearing dissent and criticism of the movie is intriguing to me. I can't pass up a movie with Viola Davis *and* Cicely Tyson in it! I've tossed money at 95% of the blockbusters out this summer (Green Lantern and Green Hornet didn't get my cash, at least.)

I'm trying to think of how many minorities were cast in this summer's "big" movies....I think Jeffrey Wright was in one...Vin Diesel was in Fast Five, although I'm still not sure he identifies as black. Oh, and there was Jumping the Broom, playing in one theater vs. the four or five theaters dedicated to the blockbuster of the week, which disappeared from the big screen before I could work it into my schedule--I think they gave that one two weeks.
Other than that... oh, wait, there was Big Momma's Son or something. I don't think there's even been a good minority dance-off to save the community center/health clinic/neighborhood matriarch's mortgage this summer. All that to say, I'll take my actresses where I can get them, and I dig most of this cast regardless of color.

I also think EW noted that filming brought about $17m into the small southern town that the director insisted on filming in, which I thought was cool.

Lastly, my mom's first job out of high school was as a 'helper' to an older white woman, but she never shared her day-to-day experiences.

And I'll admit, I'm always curious about book-to-film adaptations. They usually fail miserably or are twisted (as a result of a director, a producer, a quirky test audience or combo) to the point where they no longer resemble the source material. That sucks. But when the main Af-Am actresses (Viola D. and the woman playing Minny, I think her name is Spencer) note that they thought they'd hate the script and ended up loving it, that gives me hope. Now I may very well skip a $13 primetime show and see a $9 matinee, but I can't dismiss this outright. I hope I'm not disappointed. And if anyone wants to borrow the book, I'd be happy to loan it out.

ETA: I believe the lawsuit involves a former maid of Kitty's brother, who she knew only casualy in a '"Hi, how are you" way.

Ok, I'm exhausted & rambling. G'night folks.

[wilbert]

I haven't read the book, don't intend to see the movie. I do think there have been criticisms of the book. I read something on Jezebel about the author's family maid filing a lawsuit because she thought much of her life had been used as a basis for the story. Also, in the passage highlighted in Jezebel the maid reflects on a cockroach and thinks something along the lines of "wow, that cockroach has the same coloring as me". Again, never read the book, but I do think Viola Davis is really good (I saw Doubt). I just wish she wasn't getting kudos for playing a maid. There's all sorts of interesting stories about race in this country and again we get a story of race told to us from the point of view of an upper class white girl. Really? Again, no disrespect this is a hard subject and there are a lot of opinions.

[Deleted]

Aug 13, 2011 4:15:54 GMT -4 wilbert said:

I haven't read the book, don't intend to see the movie. I do think there have been critisims of the book. I read something on Jezebel about the author's family maid starting a lawsuit because she thought much of her life had been used as a basis for the story.

It's been a while since I've read the book but I think in the edition I had it was said that the family's maid has already died some time ago.

I liked the book a lot since it touches a part of American history we never get to hear about around here (usually it's all conncected to the two WW). I also didn't think it was a feel-good read at all. It was actually quite horrifying at times IMHO.
Since I like many of the involved actors I'm looking forward to seeing the film although I've become very sceptical when it comes to movie adaptations of books I enjoyed.