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DreamWorks has released a new trailer for The Help, the Tate Taylor-directed adaptation of the Kathryn Stockett novel about life in pre-Civil Rights era Mississippi. The film, a co-production between DreamWorks and Participant Media, stars Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard and Emma Stone. It hits theaters Aug. 12.
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Let’s be real, this movie comes off intentionally racist. Seriously, “the help?”
Not only that, it looks extremely bad.
did you seriously not watch the trailer?
it’s abut how things WERE and how someone tried to make it right.
That’s the name of the book. It was terrific–they couldn’t possibly call the movie anything else.
Now this makes me smile!
Hey, how about telling the actual movie from the perspective of “the help”? Instead of the perspective of a perky, spunky white lady, I mean.
Anyway — vomit.
The book is written from the perspective of Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter. So it is actually supposed to be told from three different perspectives, two of them being ‘The Help.’ I hope the movie doesn’t change that at least…
Read the book. 2/3 of the story is told from the perspective of two black maids.
I’m sure the movie will be the same.
The book was huge. Not something I could crack open. As a black woman (well, biracial anyway) this sort of thing turns me off but I’m sure it’s uplifting and all that.
It’s a huge book because it’s a big, rich and full story. More than worth the read.
Oy. Another simplistic ‘feel good’ movie about something impossible to feel good about. These kinds of books only get written now — as opposed to when they actually might have made a difference.
You write it, we’ll shoot it, honey!
The trailer speaks for itself. If you want to see an excellent movie about this era (in this case about the Montgomery Bus Boycott), rent THE LONG WALK HOME, one of the most nuanced and thoughtfully made Hollywood movies about The Civil Rights Era.
Man, there are some jaded motherfuckers in and around this business. And, man, it is tiresome.
Agree
I am one of the most cynical and facetious bloggers on DH…and, often my comments are challenged.
This trailer made me feel good and smile and feel the fun of this storytelling…loved it.
Couldn’t've said it better, Jeff.
Cosign. The bitterness of commenters on this site is ridiculous. The trailer looks good–no vampires, torture porn or middle age men acting like idiot teenagers? I’m in.
“Jaded motherfuckers” is right on.
The Help is going to be a huge hit! it looks great!
“Ise sho is happy to sees’a story tol from de purspectuv of da help. lawdee hav mercy!”
I wrote the above sentence, tongue in cheek, but in all seriousness I am FED UP with stories about people of color told through saintly white eyes. THe sad thing is this feel-good pap which smells an awful lot like “a soul-ified, Southern cooked” version of “Eat, Pray, Love” is the only way, outside of Tyler Perry or Terry McMillan, that a collective of black actresses will get a major studio to give them anything more than three lines in a major motion picture. And it has to be about them being domestics.
Sadly, this movie is soon to be followed by “The Butler” — the true tale of an African American who worked in the White House.
Sometimes Hollywood racism would be funny if it weren’t so damn on the nose.
I happily second that.
This looks good.
I think the trailer just hooked me.
Emma Stone is so lucky. She’s exactly what Hollywood starlets are made of- blonde (or even better, able to be blonde AND brunette AND a redhead! Score!) big blue/green eyed and the “I don’t care about any of this” attitude to boot. **eye roll**I am however happy for Viola, who on the other hand has had to pound pavement (albeit successfully) for years and years to get the studio movies she more than deserves.
You forgot AND WHITE.
SCORE!!!
Is it me, or does it seem that stories with black people as protagonists get more readily embraced when the roles they play are…. A) subservient (ie, “The Help”), B) sociologically/pathologically in dire straits (ie, “Precious”) or C) offer up a slice of hood-style ‘veritas’ for the popcorn-chomping masses (ie “Menace To Society” or “Boys in the Da Hood”)
And, yet, when a solid effort puts the characters in commendable light — Denzel Washington’s “Great Debaters” comes to mind, about a group of Southern black kids during Jim Crow who go on to win a national debating tournament — people either shrug or say the movie is not believable.
So let me get this straight: Hollywood ‘believes’ feel good fictional movies like ‘The Help’ about black maids and their white overlords finding common ground but eschews stories based on real-life about black kids who triumphed in the racist South against all odds.
Hmmm…..
What a strange industry Hollywood is.
Nat Turner movie? No.
David Fagin movie? No.
Baynard Rustin movie? No.
Elizabeth Eckford movie? No.
Dangerous Minds/Blindside/Driving Ms. Daisy aka Great White Hope Saves the Noble Negroes for the 5,000th time? Greenlight.
Le sigh.
FD,
I am embarrassed to admit that of the four names, i knew one off the top (Turner), but once i looked up Eckford, i knew her story immediately.
Thanks for posting those names because i caused me to do a little research and broaden my perspective and knowledge. I didn’t know Rustin but he seemed far ahead of his time.
Just wanted to say thanks for sharing your response because i did, indeed, learn something…
+1000
based on the the trailer feels like The Help will be about as successful as the Nate Berkus show…who are any of these actors? this film has no stars not a good sign. Emma Stone is highly overrated. No one outside LA and NY knows who she is. She reeks of being a Lindsay Lohan wanna be. Lindsay with all her problems is still a great actress. I hope the film is better than the trailer and that Tate Taylor proves that he is the star of this film. Viola Davis and Allison Janney are great actresses but certainly not stars.
To the haters: this is based on a best selling novel, so “Hollywood racism” — the story wasn’t written in Hollywood — doesn’t quite seem appropriate. Also, the movie was directed by a friend of the novelist AND is based on the novelist’s own upbringing. If you haven’t read the book, then you don’t know that most of the white characters come off like fools or overprivileged brats. Also, this book/movie is set in the south during the 50′s/60′s and is about black domestic workers, who are the noble, smart, heroes of this story. All the Emma Stone “white chick” does is realize this, tell the story, then move to NY (at least in the book.) So shut up if you don’t know what you’re talking about.
YOU are talking out of your ass. There is no way in hell the black domestics will be the centerpieces of this movie. It will be the HEROIC lily white savior, that this is about. EVEN though this is supposedly told through the domestics (novel) I am assuming the writer of this novel is NOT one of the domestics right? What in whitey’s eyes have the domestics done that is so heroic? Stand up for themselves? Tell the massa to go fuck himself. Or are they sassy and tell it like it is? What makes them noble? They serve whitey with a great deal of pride and self determination? Why are they smart?
See, they are only any of those things because the author has written they are. This is a white story. You are confused.
GOYHH,
I appreciate your response; however, i think you’re missing the point, which is this: There are many novels that could be greenlit that speak of the African American experience, but they are not…those that are either depict the white actors in a “nobless oblige” role or the african american protagonist(s) as either domestic help [pun intented], hoodified, or in psychological/emotional turmoil that person above referenced, like Precious, For Colored Girls, etc…oh, how i wish this wasn’t often the case.
I personally know two of the actresses in the film, Viola being one, and I hope the movie is a major success, for their sake, because of the effort i know they put. I would like to see more films where the characters weren’t solely butlers, maids, named Precious, or were snapping necks or fingers, for that isn’t a true representation of such a diverse ethnicity, but one that is often told.
Thanks for your response, and i hope you can appreciate the place I am coming from.
All the Best
“Mad
MenWomen”The book was a best seller that is for sure but what does that really mean? It means that a huge number of non african-american’s bought the book and ate it up. In all honesty, it is not that good of a book. (Good if you are a coming of age white hippy from the south who wants to rebel against “the system” so you write an article. Wow is sounds even worst when you write it out. Too bad she wasn’t a freedom rider cause that would have been more inspiring).
The script was just okay (and I’ being fair) but Emma Stone should never due an accent again and how does Bryce Dallas-Howard still get work? Seriously Hollywood there are other actors in the Universe. Stop using same people!! I doubt it makes more the $35 million before it fades fast from the collective conscience.
Anytime a movie deals with racism in the 60s, the crazy commentators come out complaining that Hollywood only wants to tell these type of stories. Hollywood is about one color…Green, the color of money. If it’s good storytelling, people will come, as long as they don’t feel like they are being preached to. Period movies like The Great Debators don’t do well without enough star power. The Help has a stellar cast and a presold audience because of the book’s popularity. If it’s as good as the trailer seems, it will be a hit despite the naysayers.
Read the book before you jump to conclusions. I say this as both a screenwriter and a southerner who grew up during this era and yes, for the first 10 years of my life, I was raised by a black woman and my white parents were just fine with it.
You mean there’s a movie coming out this summer that I’d actually see? See, I actually like movies, no matter how light, about people who aren’t white and playing superheroes. The rest of you can attend those. Watch out for the food all over the floor, the kids texting through the whole thing and teens talking so loud you can’t hear the dialogue. I’ll sit in a nice, air conditioned theater, surrounded by actual adults and enjoy the one movie coming out this summer aimed at us.
Hey, Eyes On The Prize, you are confused. Denzel Washington is Hollywood and “Great Debaters” did get made. Perhaps Hollywood has decided to eschew my clever and funny script because I am a white guy. Or maybe it is just a tough, competitive business and we should all stop complaining.
I remember when movie trailers left you with a strong sense of what the damn film was about! This trailer is schizophrenic. Is it a comedy? (I didn’t laugh once). Is it a drama? (Viola Davis MUST have had a more moving scene than what’s shown here). Unless the book has a large and incredibly loyal following, this movie will last two, three weekends tops. And you can forget about any box office overseas.
@ JD
And it will be held up as a reason why “urban” movies don’t “play” with mainstream audiences and it’ll be another 3 years before Viola Davis can get more than 2 scenes in a feature film.\
Le double sigh
This looks awful.
Hey haters -
If you haven’t read the book/ script – save your ignorant opinion.
The story is heavily told from the perspective of the black women (as well as one white woman) who ALL discover their own talents/ heroic moments.
Yes, there’s a feel good element to it (it’s 50 years ago, we can all pat ourselves on the back for not being racist). Except, there’s still plenty of racism. And reminding ourselves about our ugly history is good/ cathartic.
I’m pretty immune to mediocre Oprah feel good stuff, but this book and story are the real deal. I fell in love with all the women in this story (a movie with all women! not about shopping/ men!).
And these stories are all over the place (my mom was one of these kids raised by her black maid in the south who she loved and was closer to than her own mother; my mom learned to be a great parent from this lady who not only raised other people’s kids, then went home and took care of her own children – these woman deserve their cinematic due).
And FWIW, I liked the Great Debaters a lot. Hollywood made it. It’s the audience that didn’t show up.