It soon gave way to disappointment disappointment about how the critical black power movement was simplified in the film disappointment about being one of the few black people scattered among the white audience disappointment that the audience got so buzzed when Louis Gaines, wearing that funky black power beret, is slapped by his more reasonable, less militant mother. “Serves him right!” I even heard someone say.Ī wave of anger surged through me. A hushed buzz of approval ran through the audience at my screening. A little more than halfway through the film, Gloria Gaines (Winfrey) slaps her son for joining the black power movement. all give excellent performances each demonstrates a humanity that extends the story of one man into a multi-dimensional account of black consciousness.īut the scene that made the strongest impression on me had less to do with the cinematography and more with the reaction from the audience. Oprah, Forest Whitaker, Terrence Howard, Lenny Kravitz, and Cuba Gooding Jr. Cecil builds a family, receives his position at the White House, and forms a refreshingly complex relationship with his beautiful wife, played by Oprah Winfrey. It opened with a scene of a young Cecil Gaines (the character based on real-life White House butler Eugene Allen) in the cotton fields of Georgia, and we watch as he gradually transitions from a forlorn child into a diligent young man.
The butler movie#
It didn't bode well but I tried to put them out of my mind as the movie began. I'd heard positive reviews of the film from family and friends, many of whom are black.īut when my grandmother and I entered the theater of elderly white couples, I couldn't help but notice the few that stared at us as we walked to our seats. Though somewhat skeptical, I chose to see The Butler in the spirit of optimism and curiosity.
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