The Butler

Director: Lee Daniels

Stars: Forrest Whitaker, David Oyelowo, Oprah Winfrey, Lenny Kravitz, Cuba Gooding Jr, Robin Williams, Alan Rickman, John Cusack

Released in UK: 15^th November

Spanning over three decades and based loosely on the accounts of real life butler Eugene Allen, Lee Daniels follow up to The Paperboy follows Forrest Whitaker’s Cecil Gaines and his experiences working as a long serving butler at the White House.

Cecil starts his life tumultuously, following the death of his father at the hands of a white plantation farmer and the mental demise of his abused mother (a blink and you’ll miss it cameo from Mariah Carey). With the help of the farm owner (Vanessa Redgrave), Cecil begins life training as a house servant, working his way up to apply for a job at the White House. Beginning at the time of Dwight Eisenhower right through to the late 80’s with Ronald Reagan, Cecil witnesses everything from the JFK assassination, Martin Luther King to the Nixon scandal, while at home his wife Gloria (Winfrey) struggles with her alcoholic demons and his eldest son Louis (Oyelowo) fights for black rights.

While it’s certainly sincere in its issues, The Butler is a heavily laden story, and something we’ve seen and heard plenty of times before. With similar hits like biopic Forrest Gump and 50’s based The Help still in recent memory, and the upcoming and highly praised Steve McQueen project 12 Years A Slave released at the end of this month, there are plenty of stories to chew over the touchy subject of slave labour, black rights and segregation. What’s a shame is that this film focuses really heavily on this, ramming it down your throat. Not very much action actually goes on at the White House, and it’s hard to feel a different and edgier story has been overlooked in favour of another film about a taboo subject. It would have been far more interesting to see more of what was happening at work during these movements, than documenting the events themselves. The plot of the film follows the events that Cecil experiences over 30 years in service, but we don’t actually get to see much of what happens.

In fact, more attention is paid to Cecil’s relationship with his family and at home, most notably that with his wife, superbly played by Oprah Winfrey dominating every screen time she has, and his son Louis, David Oyelowo shining in his role. Gloria is a suffering alcoholic feeling side lined by Cecil’s job and the hours he works. It gives the film its more intimate and touching moments and has the only character development and chemistry, though it does take away more focus that could have been spent with the presidents and Cecil on the job. The chemistry between Cecil and his son Louis is also strained, but so beautifully constructed. While his father appears to bow to every whim of his professional life, Louis is not only fighting to stop the racial injustice but also fighting against his own father’s social standing, he is in a word partly ashamed of his legacy.

Meanwhile all of the presidents sadly have very little to work with in their performances. Actors such as Robin Williams and Alan Rickman (playing Eisenhower and Reagan respectively) in particular get really short onscreen time, which is unfortunate seeing as they are the first and last presidents Cecil serves. It would have been nice to develop some form a relationship between any of them, but instead they are passed over within minutes. James Marsdan is a strange choice for J.F.K, but again we don’t really get to know him as Kennedy at all before he’s killed off. Rickman and Fonda as the Reagans certainly look the part but have very little to do, John Cusack’s fake nose is quite laughable and Liev Schreiber’s Lyndon Johnson is just plain bonkers, although he does garner a few of the films only laughs in some ridiculous moments of madness. There is no reason to like or favour these presidents in any way, because we have no chance to get to know them.

Though the subjects and events are indeed sensitive, it is Forrest Whitaker performance that is the films saving grace. As always he is superb in the lead role, as the conflicted but dedicated Cecil in a very touching and subtle way.

This was undoubtedly looking to be the big draw come award season, with the endless cast list and the fact that its based on real life and real life people, however it misses the mark. Having said all that, the acting in the film is brilliant and consistent. The storyline is dragged out, but it’s still engaging and very watchable.

VERDICT: * * *

A biopic based on real life racial American history with a mighty impressive cast list, The Butler should be a powerhouse of force. Such a shame it has missed an opportunity for something different, and with so little for the other actors to do it’s hard to care about what happens. That said Whitaker and Winfrey are perfectly cast so a few award nods will likely end up their way. 

The Butler is released in UK cinemas from Friday 15th November