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The Butler Movie Review

The Butler is a 2013 historical drama film directed by Lee Daniels and staring Forest Whitaker. It’s a very cheesy and manipulative movie.

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“I don’t think God meant for people to not have a family“

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Significant events in America like the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War affect the life of a butler, Cecil, who, during his tenure, served eight presidents at the White House. This was one of the biggest Oscar-baits of its year and it backfired because even the Academy could not quite take its overly saccharine tone and clichéd storytelling. There is nothing here that we haven’t seen in numerous other much better social dramas with a similar subject.

Lee Daniels is an overrated director who rarely made a really good movie in his life and this is just another proof of his laziness as a filmmaker. The Butler tries so hard to be the next ‘Forrest Gump’ that it becomes quite obvious in its intentions from the first act onward. The worst offender is that cheesy ending that tugged at the heartstrings in an overly manipulative and obvious manner.

Forest Whitaker is admittedly very good in the main role and the movie is worth seeing solely for his performance. This man did not really exist and it was odd that the film was this semi-realistic biopic when it should have taken a clear choice for one the two. But Whitaker was commanding throughout and his character is easy to root for.

Oprah Winfrey is also worthy of praise in the wife role. I found the relationship between the two genuinely moving and she was excellent here. David Oyelowo as Cecil’s radical activist son is also memorable and the two had the most interesting, fraught relationship in the film.

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The Butler could have been a very good movie had it been more subtle. There were makings here of a strong film as the basic story is certainly quite inspirational, but how they went about it was all wrong. The movie is overlong, technically lackluster and featuring a score that was also emotionally manipulative. The dialogue is too unsubtle and how they included real historical figures was also handled in a very over-the-top way that did not appeal to me at all.