Review of The Help (2011) by Tim J — 23 Jun 2017

This film is insufferably self-righteous and phony to the core. Having a good "message" is no excuse for this kind of superficial and cartoonish depiction of race relations in a previous period.

I couldn't bear to watch this after the first 20 minutes made me want to gag with the straining situations and acting by all the white folks, especially Emma Stone, while the black women as maids were subjected to the humiliation of social mistreatment as well as being stereotypes yet managed to rise above that somewhat compared to the odious racists they work for.

The white folks are two-dimensional jerks with the exception of one named Skeeter (really!?) who wants to call attention to the maids' plight but manages only to be obnoxiously earnest and awkward--all of this so contrived and manipulative that it makes a mockery of civil rights activism.

I feel sorry for the talented black actresses in this affair, who struggle to maintain dignity and credibility in this film that feels more like a bad stage play than a realistic movie. The sanctimony of this whole enterprise spoils a sincere concern about how badly blacks were treated--and in some cases still are--with such nauseating phoniness in the depiction of racist behavior.