The Help Movie

As my regulars know, I rather avoided reading The Help (linked to my review) at first because it was one of those "fad" books. Everyone was reading it so, naturally, I didn't want to. I like to let books simmer for awhile. But then, if you'll recall, my mom read it and said she loved it and so I went ahead and read it. I sure was glad I did!

I discovered when I was writing up my book review that they were making a movie out of it. Apparently I read the book just in time! As any good reader knows, when Hollywood gets a hold of a book they delight in ruining the story. They get a pleasure trip in totally spoiling the work of a good story teller. I am happy though that apparently they thought well enough of Kathryn Stockett's original efforts that they left the basic storyline virtually untouched! The movie was absolutely fantastic.

With one (glaringly, hideously awful) exception, the movie follows the book remarkably well. I didn't expect perfection, given the fact that the book is of some length and I knew that they weren't going to test the audience's ability to focus for more than two hours. They had a lot to pack in and I think they used their time wisely. They did jump the gun a couple of times by revealing interesting side plots almost at the outset of the film. There were two things that they had characters on film announce immediately that were slowly unfolded throughout the book. Regrettable, but understandable given the length of the film. (Seriously, to do perfect justice to the book, you'd have to expect your visual audience to be willing to sit still for about three and a half hours at least.)

Otherwise, without going in to what the story is about (you can read my book review of The Help if you want a clue) I'll just say that I think this was a fabulous film and anyone who liked the book is likely to enjoy the movie. I was emotionally moved appropriately as the film progressed. I got a seriously good laugh out of watching Celia Foote learn to make friend chicken. I had the same exact reaction to Miss Leefolt on film as I did from reading the book. In my opinion, Aibileen was well cast and carried the story admirably. Minny is my favorite laugh-out-loud character from the book and I knew it would be hard to do her justice in a movie version. Actress Octavia Spencer was cast as Minny and she did make me laugh. Not as much as in the book but I think that's primarily because you couldn't focus on her subplots as much, given the time restrictions (that I keep mentioning.)

There is some cursing in the movie, most of which takes place during the first 20 minutes and involves Skeeter's managing editor. Otherwise, the movie was as clean as a whistle. The opening scene with Mae Mobley ("You is kind.") moved me into the story instantly and I enjoyed every single second of it. (Regretting in the loss of details, only.) I went to see the movie with two friends of mine as part of an early birthday celebration and it was a delightful evening.

I rather strongly recommend seeing it if you have the slightest desire to! I think you'll enjoy it. If you like the book, I think it's very safe to say you'll like the movie. It is deserving of the acclaim it is receiving and I wouldn't mind seeing it again sometime. Nor would I mind re-reading the book for that matter! Both were quite engaging and I'm glad to know them both.