Lee Daniels' The Butler - B

Rated PG-13, 126 minutes

Compelling, well-acted "Butler" a worthwhile history lesson

Forest Whitaker as The Butler

"Lee Daniels' The Butler" is an earnest but well-acted late-summer drama that works much like the 1970s' TV Miniseries "Backstairs at the White House" that's just as entertaining but with more political statements thrown in. Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker) works as a White House butler during eight presidential terms from 1957 to 1986. Along with his wife (Oprah Winfrey) he witnesses — and becomes involved in — the political and social turmoil of the period. Inspired by the real-life story of White House butler Eugene Allen, "Lee Daniels' The Butler" is a compelling, if not overly sentimental, history lesson and personal story. Directed by Oscar-nominee Lee Daniels of "Precious" and with a script by Emmy-winner Danny Strong, "The Butler" only scratches the surface of the Civil Rights movement, but what it lacks in depth is made up for with the strong performances by Oscar-winner Whitaker and Winfrey. While Whitaker brims with quiet resolve, Winfrey is honest and funny in a blowsy, lively turn that makes you forget she's the queen of daytime talk shows. Of the large supporting cast, Oscar-winner Cuba Gooding Jr. (even after all those dreadful comedies, he can still act), singer Lenny Kravitz and British actor David Oyelowo all contribute sturdy turns. The most talked-about aspect of "The Butler" is interestingly its biggest flaw, which is the stunt-casting parade of unconventional actors making brief appearances as Presidents and First Ladies: Robin Williams as Dwight Eisenhower, James Marsden as John Kennedy, Liev Schreiber as LBJ, John Cusack as Nixon, and Alan Rickman and Jane Fonda as the Reagans. Schreiber is the funniest and Rickman and Fonda the warmest, but the real fact is that none of the actors (save for a heavily made-up Fonda and a bland Marsden) truly resembles their real-life counterparts, serving only as a distraction from the story. "The Butler" is more powerful when it focuses on the events as they impact the Gaines household, and the division within Cecil's household itself; the most memorable sequence has an intense scene from the Civil Rights movement coupled with a lavish White House dinner that shows the differences in the society at the time. A tad overlong and filled with too many characters, "Lee Daniels' The Butler" is a moving and satisfying tribute to those involved in and affected by the Civil Rights movement. Worthwhile for the performances, especially Oprah, who should do more movies.

Wes's Grade: B