It starts off pretty dramatically. A black woman starts talking about her story. How she knew she was going to be maid growing up and how she spends her life raising white babies.
And we flash over to Skeeter [Emma Stone], who is trying to get into the publishing world. She tried to get employed at Harper Publishing company but needed more experience. And she is pretty much given her break at a small town gazette, the Jackson Journal.
Skeeter seems to be different from all the people she grew up with. She seems to have an appreciation for the help and loved Constance, the black woman who raised her [though not according to Skeeter's mother]. Apparently, while Skeeter was at college, Constance "left" to be with her family in Chicago. She is very independent for her generation.
And the maids are the best part of this movie. They are passionate and have a hard life due to the times. You see things you don't learn in history class, like the idea of a house having a separate bathroom for the help. And you get to see the thought process of the white people of the town. It's amazing to see what they considered being "racist" versus "separate but equal."
Also, there is an interesting lack of men in this movie save for a few glimpses here and there. But then again, this is a focus not only on black peoples' rights, but black women's rights. And so it would be pointless to have much focus on the men.
Either way, I'd definitely recommend this movie. It is certainly different from all those other "chick flicks," for lack of a better words. It's not a laugh a lot movie like Bridesmaids or sappy like anything like Jodi Picoult or New Year's Eve [and yes, I consider that movie to be a chick flick]. It has some comedy, some serious notes, some highs and some lows. All the actresses in this movie definitely did their job of making you feel. They deserve all the award nominations they got and then some.
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Fun Side Notes
- Crisco is to The Help like Windex is to My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
- Stuart Whitworth was played by Chris Lowell, who also played Piz in Veronica Mars
