Review: Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013)

Cast: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, John Cusack
Director: Lee Daniels
Country: USA
Genre: Biography | Drama
Official Trailer: Here

Editor’s Notes: Lee Daniels’ The Butler is now out in wide theatrical release. For an additional perspective on the film, read Mel’s review.

Lee Daniels’ The Butler is a sweeping, heavily fictionalized tale that begins on a Georgia cotton farm, takes us through seven presidential administrations and definitive moments in American history, then at long last wraps up its journey with Barack Obama being sworn into office. Director Lee Daniels of Paperboy and Precious fame has so many plot points to film he can’t help but rush through his 90-year-long journey, rarely taking time for emotional moments to resonate properly.

Director Lee Daniels of Paperboy and Precious fame has so many plot points to film he can’t help but rush through his 90-year-long journey, rarely taking time for emotional moments to resonate properly.

Academy-Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker stars as Cecil Gains, taught at an early age the art of serving and becoming so skilled at his craft that he eventually landed a job at the White House. His job grants him close proximity to the country’s leaders, from Eisenhower to Reagan. Whitaker is nothing short of fantastic here, and his strength as an actor carries us through the movie in ways lesser actors could only dream of doing. Here is a man whose job is to serve the most power man in the country, but remain invisible. The presidents’ roles are essentially glorified cameos, but James Marsden’s Kennedy, John Cusack’s Nixon, and Alan Rickman’s Reagan are particularly memorable given their limited screen time.

When Daniels isn’t burdened with giving his audience a behind-the-scenes look at the White House’s inner workings, he’s rushing to create a picture of Cecil’s life at home. Oprah Winfrey delivers fine supporting work as Cecil’s wife Gloria. She spends most of her day drinking, smoking and worrying about her son Louis. The great David Oyelwo gives another fantastic performance as Louis Gaines, who becomes quite active in the civil rights movement after going off to college. He protests segregated seating at restaurants, sees a bus ambushed by KKK members, and is thrown in jail multiple times. The scenes involving Louis are the highlight of the film and serve as the film’s main source of conflict. The reserved Cecil is disgusted by the outspoken Louis, wishing his son could just sit back and accept the way things are. Oyelwo is nothing short of great here and should be given awards consideration. While Whitaker and Oyelwo bounce off each other quite nicely, the obligatory burying of the hatchet is, like many other moments in the film, rushed. Not only is resolution between father and son not earned, but Daniels once again is too focused on moving on to the next scene.

There are plenty of memorable moments in The Butler, but too often do they fail to pack the necessary emotional punch. Daniels, forever the antithesis of subtlety, underscores most of his emotional moments with a musical score intended to make you reach for your tissues.

There are plenty of memorable moments in The Butler, but too often do they fail to pack the necessary emotional punch. Daniels, forever the antithesis of subtlety, underscores most of his emotional moments with a musical score intended to make you reach for your tissues. While I was indeed moved by parts of the movie, I found myself rolling my eyes more than I was drying them. This isn’t to say that I dislike Daniels as a filmmaker. He is a talented director that can elicit great work from his actors. His exaggerated style fit movies like The Paperboy and Precious, but here he really needs to dial it back a bit. Even with all its shortcomings, it’s hard not to recommend the film based purely on its performances. That being said, The Butler plays more like a “best hits of the civil rights movement” infused with a nauseating Forest Gump sentimentality than it does a sweeping epic of struggle and patriotism.

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Daniel Tucker

Director of Media & Staff Film Critic

I never knew how movies could make your imagination soar until I saw "Star Wars," I never realized how inspiring they could be until I saw "Rocky," and I never truly appreciated film until I saw "Goodfellas." Film has been a central part of my life as long as I can remember and it continues to mold who I am. My " movies to watch" list is miles longer than my "movies I have watched" list. My only regret is not having enough time to watch them all.

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