Lee Daniels’ The Butler was a well-made movie that many thought would receive multiple Academy Award nominations. It was a good movie, but certainly not one of the ten best of the year. There were fine performances given by the leads Forest Whitaker – (The Last King of Scotland, The Crying Game) and Oprah Winfrey (The Color Purple, Beloved). Still, neither gave one of the top five performances of the year in their category. In addition, director Lee Daniels (Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, The Paperboy) told a story that keeps you interested and involved, but this did not match the direction of Steve McQueen (12 Years A Slave) or Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity). In short, this was a good movie worth seeing, but one that most likely would not have been nominated for an Academy Awards, regardless of the year of release.

The movie tells the true life story of Cecil Gaines (Whitaker), the son of a Georgia cotton farmer who fought through personal tragedies on his way to becoming one of the most famous butlers to ever serve in the White House. “You hear nothing. You see nothing. You only serve,” is something he is told on his first day of work. This becomes his mantra as he goes on to serve eight different presidents over 30+ years. While he excels at his job, he struggles to fulfill his role as a husband to wife Gloria (Winfrey) and their two sons, Louis (David Oyelowo –  Red Tails, Jack Reacher) and Charlie (Elijah Kelley – Red Tails, Hairspray). Louis, in particular, has a problem with his father, believing that Cecil supports the people who will not create or support legislation that could end segregation. This serves as a riff between father and son. It is one that Louis cannot see past and one that Cecil lacks the courage and desire to discuss with his son.

Featuring one of, if not the, best casts of the year that includes Terrence Howard (Prisoners, Pride), Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire, Pearl Harbor), Lenny Kravitz (The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire), Robin Williams (Good Will Hunting, Awakenings), Jane Fonda (Coming Home, On Golden Pond), Alan Rickman (Die Hard, Love Actually), Liev Schreiber (The Painted Veil, Defiance), (James Marsden (Straw Dogs, X-Men), John Cusack (1408, Grace Is Gone) and many, many others, it’s almost as if these great actors and actresses lined up for even the smallest of parts in this film. Williams (Dwight D. Eisenhower), Masden (John F. Kennedy), Cusack (Richard Nixon), Schreiber (Lyndon B. Johnson), and Rickman (Ronald Reagan) each did a fantastic job portraying five of the eight presidents that Gaines served under during his three decades in the White House. Each little nuisance of these presidents was portrayed in a way that made it seem like we were seeing these presidents in real life, not just the actors portraying them.

What I thought Daniels did better than just about anything was telling the story of not just Cecil but of so many of the other characters as well. I thought the stories of Gloria, his sons, and many other butlers were exceptionally well told. There was so much interconnectivity between Gaines and his family, as well as Gaines and his co-workers, but rarely between his family and his co-workers. This was Cecil’s character flaw as a family man, but one that made him highly successful at his job. He didn’t bring his job home, nor did he bring his personal life to his job. He was the ultimate family man at work, even if it hindered his development as a husband and father.

There were so many characters in this film, but never did it feel like who was who, or I’m not invested in this category; why is Daniels spending so much time telling me about them? The movie clocked in at just under two hours. It felt like a perfect amount of time, and I left satisfied with the resolution of each character. I thought the other butlers were great, especially Carter (Gooding Jr.), James (Kravitz), and Freddie (Colman Domingo – Lincoln, Newlyweds). The scenes of the men in the White House and especially the kitchen are sometimes feel-good and sometimes heartfelt. Together these four black men experience the changing landscape in American history through the various administrations, knowing quite well that each has a ton that they want to say and a ton that they want to be changed, but knowing that their job prevents them from having a voice.

Solid movie. You sort of know what you are going to get based on the preview alone. It’s still worth the price of admission and should be seen by all.

***Updated March 22nd (with spoilers)***
Thank you to my friend Alex who encouraged me to look at the factual inaccuracies of this movie. The title character did not see his mother raped and father murdered as a child. He had one son and not two. Louis never existed. His one son did go to Vietnam, but he was not killed there (as portrayed in the movie). As a result of this information, I am knocking this movie 15% off its original score. I’m not happy about all of these inaccuracies just to tell a better story. However, it doesn’t take away from the acting.

Plot 9.5/10
Character Development 9/10
Character Chemistry 9/10
Acting 9.5/10
Screenplay 8.5/10
Directing  10/10
Cinematography 9.5/10
Sound 9/10
Hook and Reel 9.5/10
Universal Relevance 9/10
92.5% – 15% = 73.5%

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• The Help
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• The Color Purple