Tuesday 11 October 2011

I really enjoyed Kathryn Stockett's novel The Help when I read it last year, but I'm not so sure about the movie.
There's some great performances from the actresses who play the black housekeepers, but somehow it felt too slick - too caricatured - too Oprah-ish. Too packaged.
Too long by a good half-hour.
I came away having sort of enjoyed it, but wishing that it had been handled with a lighter touch.
I've seen more films in the past three weeks or so than I have all year.
But my Oscar vote is still going to Tinker Tailor.

5 comments:

Thomas Hogglestock said...

You are right, the movie was way too Hollywood slick. We came out of the movie with list a mile long of the little things in the film that bugged us. Everyone was either too noble or too evil.

rachel said...

Or Tinker, Taylor as our local film club advertises it.... I dawdled a little over the thought of Elizabeth T in the part of Connie Sachs.

mary said...

Thomas. I read somewhere that the director was one of Kathryn Stockett's friends and he'd only made one film before ... It would have been so much better if he'd brought it down a notch.

Rachel, I'm seeing Tinker, Taylors everywhere ... isn't it annoying?

Sue, hurry up or you'll miss it! And it's the one film recently that I really would have been sorry to miss.

kristina said...

While I loved The Help (and would definitely recommend reading the book before seeing the film) I really enjoyed the film too and think many of the critics were too harsh. Maybe it's partly to do with growing up in Virginia.

K x

mary said...

It's a while since I read the book, and I got it from the library so I can't check - but I thought it had rather more to it than came out in the film. But it must have had an authentic feel if it gets your vote, Kristina.