Review: Lee Daniels’ The Butler

Proving once and for all that Oprah is queen.


The past few years have seen a series of racially charged films hit the big screen: Django Unchained, 12 Years a Slave etc. The Butler approaches the civil rights movement with a unique, if occasionally sickly sweet, view point which conveys the realities of one of the darkest periods of modern history from an insider’s perspective.

Loosely based on the story of Eugene Allen, The Butler stars Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines. Although raised on cotton fields by his parents- some dude and Mariah Carey- Cecil finally escapes the brutal South and heads for Washington D.C. He gets a relatively cushy job as a butler, marries Gloria (all hail, Oprah) and has two sons before being head hunted by the White House. The film explores changing racial relations through the eyes of Cecil, who largely accepts his low status, and his freedom fighting son Louis as he rebels against the policies of his father’s employees.

As little as 50 years ago, people of colour were treated like second class citizens based solely on the colour of their skin. The subject matter naturally makes people squirm, but that makes it all the more important to address. While Django Unchained took a typical Tarantino approach- making jokes out of KKK uniforms and throwing buckets of blood around- The Butler balances the brutality of racism with the heroism of civil rights activists.

The film also represents a step forward in the status of black actors. The majority of films and TV shows present us with the same roster of skinny white girls and muscular white guys, while ethnic minorities struggle to find a job. Daniels assembles some of the most talented actors imaginable: Forest Whitaker, Queen Oprah, Lenny Kravitz, Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr and rising star David Oyelowo (my future husband). A black person has won an acting Oscar only 14 times in the ceremony’s 85 year history, but this year we have 3 potential nominees from one film (Whitaker, Winfrey and Oyelowo). That progress can’t be ignored.

However, the film’s assets are also behind its biggest flaws. Cecil serves seven presidents across 34 years, but the film only has two hours to work with. Although we see an overview of the tense interracial relations across the 20th century, this impression is quite shallow. I was raised in the North East of Scotland. Show me Braveheart and I know what’s going on; my knowledge of American history, on the other hand, is pretty vague. There were moments when I wished for an in depth exploration of issues, and all I got was cheesy family dramas.

Movies covering natural disasters, abuse, racism etc are impossible to dislike without feeling like a heartless monster. It might be difficult to leave the cinema and criticise the film without feeling like a massive racist, so I’ll do it for you. The performances are excellent and there are moments of raw emotion. The phenomenal story unfortunately comes second to the cheesy personal drama, creating a whistle stop tour of history rather than a full exploration, but damn Oprah can act. 

Images courtesy of hollywoodreporter.com, moviecitynews.com and alleynews.org