The story of Eugene Allen, who “The Butler” is loosely based on, is one that’s simply extraordinary.
Without getting into too much detail, Eugene Allen was the butler for 8 different presidents and had served the likes of Sammy Davis Jr., Elvis Presley, Duke Ellington, and had even met Martin Luther King Jr.. Much has been said about Eugene Allen, but not a word of negativity about this extraordinary man. Which leads me to “Lee Daniels’ The Butler.” Lee Daniels and screenwriter Danny Strong heavily integrate the Civil Rights Movement in with the lead character, Cecil Gaines (Whitaker), story. Most noteworthy about “The Butler” is the extraordinary work of the cast.
Beginning in 1920’s Georgia, we see life for a young Cecil Gaines with his mother Hattie (Mariah Carey) and his father Earl (David Banner) on a cotton plantation owned by Thomas Westfall (Alex Pettyfer). Cecil works with the two of them until he is brought inside by Annebeth Westfall (Vanessa Redgrave), an elderly woman who trains Cecil to be a house servant. When he reaches his teenage years, he goes out on his own leaving the plantation life behind him. Struggling to find food and shelter, he finds himself breaking into a hotel pastry shop where he is met by an elderly man, Maynard, who then gives him a job and teaches him the profession of being a butler. Cecil moves to Washington D.C. to take a position at a hotel which is where he meets and marries Gloria (Winfrey), who in time have themselves two children: Louis (David Oyelowo) and Charlie (Elijah Kelley). While working at the hotel, Cecil’s work is noted by a worker of the White House where he’s then offered a position as a butler.
Coming into the White House during the Dwight Eisenhower (Robin Williams) administration, Cecil learns the ins and outs of being a butler in the White House. It’s here where he’s introduced to head butler Carter Wilson (Gooding Jr.) and co-worker James Holloway (Kravitz). Looking at his family, Louis goes on to college at Fisk University in Tennessee and finds himself getting involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Gloria has trouble dealing with Cecil’s long hours and finds herself drinking and having an affair with the Gaineses’ neighbor, Howard (played by Terrence Howard). From here on out, we see Cecil and Louis clash as they disagree on their stances in the Civil Rights Movement. We see Cecil serve under numerous presidents: John F. Kennedy (James Marsden), Lyndon B. Johnson (Liev Schreiber), Richard Nixon (John Cusack), and Ronald Reagan (Alan Rickman). We see the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the creation of the Black Panthers, and the effect of the Vietnam War.
“The Butler” isn’t your average politic film at all. Lee Daniels doesn’t hold back when showing some of the details that African-Americans went through during the 1960’s. It paints the true ugliness of people when dealing with race, but also when dealing with politics and personal lives. As an admirer of Danny Strong’s work, it could be the work he’s most remembered for. “The Butler” is a film of extraordinary performances, from Whitaker to Oprah to the small cameo appearances by each actor portraying the difference presidents. The political message remains strong as well and will resonate with audiences in different ways.
One of the best comparisons I could come up with for “The Butler” was “Forrest Gump”…not so much in the message as much as the storytelling technique. With both films, the central protagonist is more of a fly-on-the-wall character, who just so happens to be a part of some of the biggest events to take place in history.
-Joshua Kaye
“The Butler” is now available on BLU-RAY and DVD.
