Review of The Butler (2013) by Jordan K — 21 Jan 2016

I expected The Butler to be about mainly just a life spent serving presidents, but the film is much more than that. Packed with an amazing cast, a compelling nature and a strong story, The Butler is an amazingly well done film that captures civil rights history.

The Butler tells the true story of Cecil Gaines, a top White House butler who served Presidents Eisenhower through Reagan. Gaines also tries to adjust to a changing America during the 1960s civil rights movement, where he builds a damaged relationship with his son, a strong civil rights activist.

The Butler is impressive. Time and history is a common theme and it stays through the film and after. Characters evolve and time evolves. The film displays a compelling nature that focuses on both presidencies but more on the civil rights movement. Whitaker does such a realistic job at his character that really drawed me in. As the character grows older, I felt more and more interested in him and had more respect in his actions. Gaines has such a well made story and it is displayed excellently on screen. Even Oprah displays an impressive performance that makes you forget that it's Oprah, a realistic performance that goes hand in hand with Whitaker. The character of Louis stays true as a stepping stone and made me both love and hate him. He means well but there are times when the character, much like the film's common theme, evolves. The Butler isn't just the story of a presidential butler, or even a biopic. It's history. It displays a misleading message with its poster themes of a presidential setup but the film focuses deeply and passionately on the evolution of the 1960s civil rights movement that ends the film on the inauguration of Barack Obama. You either love The Butler or you immediately find it to be sappy and a bit exaggerated. I find that the film does an exceptional job at shooting directly for the viewers' newfound respect for certain characters. It knows how to get bigger and better as it goes on. The characters and sensational performances make The Butler a great film and a modern day must see.