Your piece on THE HELP exactly pointed out the reservations I had while watching the film. I was very leery of the film's (and the source novel's, of course) reductive attitude toward the civil rights movement. By the end of the film, I couldn't help but feel that Skeeter's 'help', albeit with good intentions, seemed somewhat self-congratulatory. It is however worthy of note that Viola Davis delivers a superb genuine performance, and I'm glad she didn't risk making her character over-melodramatic, which the film already is in many scenes.
The author is an Associate Editor of Cineaste, the Film Editor of Popdose, a Contributing Editor to the New York Theater News newsletter and Array magazine, and a freelancer for publications that have included The Wall Street Journal, MovieMaker, Playbill, Slant, and Time Out New York. He is a member of the Online Film Critics Society. A member of the New York-based Drama Desk, the theatrical critics association, Cashill was on its Executive Board (2008-2009) and was an awards nominator for the 2007-2008 season.
1 comment:
Your piece on THE HELP exactly pointed out the reservations I had while watching the film. I was very leery of the film's (and the source novel's, of course) reductive attitude toward the civil rights movement. By the end of the film, I couldn't help but feel that Skeeter's 'help', albeit with good intentions, seemed somewhat self-congratulatory. It is however worthy of note that Viola Davis delivers a superb genuine performance, and I'm glad she didn't risk making her character over-melodramatic, which the film already is in many scenes.
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