"Courage isn't just about being brave. It's about overcoming fear and daring to do what is right for your fellow man." (The Help, 2011)

Movie: The Help

Rating: PG-13

Release Year: 2011

Notable Cast: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard

Stars: 3.5

Review: Absolutely wonderful movie! This movie did an excellent job of portraying the racial injustices of the 1960s in the US, in a way that was poignant without being contrived. The presentation demonstrated an expertise in captivating the audience. This movie excelled in many dimensions. To begin with, set design, costumes, and mannerisms were spot-on for this period film. As for acting, I give great props to Emma Stone and Bryce Dallas Howard for their incredible portrayals of the heroine and villainess, respectively. Stone has really proven herself in cinema, demonstrating vast range through Easy A, Crazy/Stupid/Love, and now The Help. This is the first time I am seeing Howard, who is the eldest daughter of the great Ron Howard. Her passion and immense talent for acting is obvious; it was near-impossible to distinguish the actress from the character in this movie--she truly embraced the role.

One unique and wonderful aspect of this film was its clever presentation of multiple power-differentials. To name a few, there were particular black/white, husband/wife, mother/child, black/black, and white/white relationships, all of which demonstrated inequalities of power (i.e., domestic abuse, child abuse). I really liked this subtle presentation of a multitude of differentials, as it really allowed the film to transcend from appealing to any one particular demographic or cause to making a much louder and significant impact across many demographics and causes. That is to say, this movie makes a very important point about the existence of inequalities in many different types of relationships, not 'just' race or 'just' in the 1960s. There is the implication, at least in my mind, that if we look carefully enough, we can find inequalities that existed, exist now, and will exist. We must, therefore, always be vigilant to identify inequalities and then always be courageous to fight those inequalities.

Let me just add--unlike the latter part of this review which IS a bit preachy, one of the great strengths of this movie is that it was able to say so much WITHOUT sounding preachy. :)

Good date movie? Yes.