Who has seen The Butler? Just returned from a matinee

[mnhtnbb]

in a progressive North Carolina town.

Wow. Hubby was in tears when Jack Kennedy was shot...I was fighting back tears several times.

What an amazing piece of work juxtaposing Cecil's personal life with his service in The White House.

Forest Whitaker was phenomenal. Oprah was terrific. Horrible casting for several of the presidents.

I do believe all the uproar about Jane Fonda being cast as Nancy Reagan is an excuse for right wingers
to not see the movie so they won't have to be reminded of the brutal fight for civil rights in this country.

See the movie for the history lesson and the work of some wonderful actors.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Next week, we did Kick Ass (mindless flick)

and Elysium, before it goes away, this week.

We intend to go watch it.

[mnhtnbb]

3. I might have to see it again.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. I did that with lincoln

it was worth it

[Baitball Blogger]

2. How did Alan Rickman do?

[mnhtnbb]

5. He was actually pretty good. Robin Williams was ok.

John Cusack--whose work I usually admire--was miscast and it felt to me like he knew it
in every scene. Liv Schreiber was miscast, too, IMO. Neither one of them had the swagger,
the confidence, the arrogance of Nixon or LBJ.

[liberal_at_heart]

20. oooh, Alan Rickman is in it? I just love him.

[Tx4obama]

6. Four links below to the WaPo articles regarding the real WH butler Eugene Allen...

... that the film was based on.

A Butler Well Served by This Election - 2008
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/06/AR2008110603948.html

White House Butler Eugene Allen Witnesses Swearing-In (of Barack Obama) - 2009
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/20/AR2009012004301.html

Eugene Allen, White House butler for 8 presidents, dies at 90 - 2010
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/01/AR2010040103444.html

White House butler Eugene Allen's humility recalled at funeral - 2010
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2010/04/01/ST2010040103462.html

I hope everyone takes the time to read them

[mnhtnbb]

8. Thanks for posting the links. I look forward to reading them

Uh oh. Links don't work. Every one comes up with an 'unable to locate the page' screen.

Do you have a WAPO account?

[Tx4obama]

9. Try them again. I fixed the links - a space got in 'em by mistake.

[mnhtnbb]

12. Yes! Thanks!

[mnhtnbb]

7. It was a rainy afternoon here and the theater was quite full.

There was serious applause when the movie ended--not just a smattering--real sustained applause.

[CTyankee]

10. I saw it at the matinee today, too!

Whitaker and Winfrey are going to get the top acting awards for this year, IMO. It might even get Best Picture. I loved the film, perhaps because I lived through so much of the history and remember so much about it.

One of the nicest things in the movie is the interplay between the two sons of the butler. They really played well off of each other. Nice little scenes. Quirky and nice, just like ordinary folks...

[Hekate]

11. I'm looking forward to seeing The Butler

also looking forward to reading the links in this thread.

[Travis_0004]

13. I'm refusing to see it due to Oprah being in it.

[mnhtnbb]

15. Oh, don't miss it because of an actor with whom you disagree.

Goes for Jane Fonda or Oprah or anyone.

It is a marvelous story--well acted--and a story with which people need
to be familiar.

I was a teenager when LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Edited to add: I'm not a fan of Oprah. Neither is hubby. We were both
very impressed, though, with her performance.

[kwassa]

22. Why?

Did Oprah kill your dog?

[BumRushDaShow]

14. "the uproar about Jane Fonda being cast as Nancy Reagan"

Ron Reagan was on Smerconish (filling in for Tweety) on Thursday and Smerconish asked Ron about whether his mother had any reaction to the choice of Jane Fonda to play her, and he said that she appreciated the "irony" of it, but hadn't seen the movie yet.

[mnhtnbb]

17. Jane Fonda had a great look as Nancy Reagan in the movie.

I'm a fan of The Newsroom. Last year I noticed--when they were dressing Fonda's character
in Chanel jackets--how much she reminded me of Nancy Reagan. I met Nancy Reagan--
in the early 80's--when she came to visit the hospital where I worked. She was wearing
a Chanel jacket!

[MADem]

28. NANCY REAGAN approved of the casting of Jane Fonda, though--puts a crimp in their poutrage!

At least according to this source....

http://www.hollywood.com/news/brief/38139369/nancy-reagan-approves-of-jane-fonda-s-casting-in-the-butler?page=all

Fonda, who is jetting to New Orleans, Louisiana to shoot the production, has taken to her blog to tell of her pride after learning Nancy was happy with the casting.
She writes, "I'm excited about this. I feel very ready to take her on... I know that she (Nancy) is pleased that I am playing her. I know this because a friend of mine, writer Annette Tapert, was at a party given for her... birthday. I asked Annette to tell Ms Reagan I was honoured to be playing her. And, because I have a scene walking down a White House corridor with then Secretary of State, James Baker, I wanted to know what she used to call him (Jim) and would she have linked her arm in his (no).

Hell, if some famous actor was playing me in a movie, I'd want someone in the role who was better looking than myself, too!

[avebury]

16. I saw it today and loved it.

I think that David Oyelowo did a fabulous job as Louis Gaines. I loved the relationship between father and son and how it changed over time.

Edit to add: People applauded at the end of the movie.

[Bluenorthwest]

18. I'm a huge fan of Lee Daniels so I can't wait to see it

Even with all that 'important casting' around historical roles that no one seems able to resist...

[Triana]

19. I plan to see it. Aunt told me about it

this afternoon. I don't like Oprah but it sounds like a great film in spite of her.

[tavernier]

21. The film trashed Reagan

I had to chuckle because Rickman hated Thatcher and knew she and Reagan were friends. With Ronnie such an icon to the repugs, I assume not many American actors wanted to tackle the role. AR apparently didn't suffer from such fears; he has always been a vocal defender of human rights.

Chatter from the Reaganites today... All up in arms because Papa Bush and Bar loved the film, didn't seem to mind the dissing of st. Ronnie.

Heh heh... the fur is flying.

[monmouth3]

23. I just read The Hollywood Reporter (gave it excellent reviews) and the cons are furious. I love it..

[mnhtnbb]

24. Lee Daniels confirms in an interview in the NY Times magazine today

that in casting the presidents they started out seeking look-alikes.
No wonder. If only they'd started out seeking the chops to play each president
and then gone to make-up.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/18/magazine/lee-daniels-i-am-not-here-to-just-tell-black-stories.html?_r=0

There's a movie running on HBO currently-- Casting By--which is a very interesting
documentary about the process of casting and highlights the venerable Marion Dougherty and Lynn Stalmaster.
Fascinating.

[zappaman]

25. Overwrought and hits you over the head with a hammer.

didn't hate it, but would not go to see it.
Cable in 4 months.

[mnhtnbb]

26. I suspect it will be longer than 4 months to cable...#1 at box office this weekend.

[MADem]

27. My family went the other day--raved for two days straight! nt

[HeiressofBickworth]

29. I saw it yesterday

so I've had time to let it sink in before writing an opinion of it. First, I loved it. I thought using the life of this man as a vehicle for telling the story of the civil rights struggle in this country was very well done. This movie represented what was going on when I was a teenager that formed the basis of my political beliefs today. I think young people should see it -- to see what the struggle was and to ponder how much, if anything, has changed today, particularly relating to voting rights.

The casting of the presidents was interesting. Some hit the mark, an some didn't. While Cusak didn't get the swagger and ego of Nixon, he definitely nailed the smarmyness and the personal disintegration prior to resigning. The actor playing Kennedy didn't hit any marks at all -- didn't look like him, didn't sound like him, didn't invoke any recognition of Kennedy. There is no one who dislikes Oprah more than I do but that is based on her talk show. But I'll give the woman this much: she was very good in the role of Gloria, the Butler's wife. I can't picture anyone else playing the roll.

[BOG PERSON]

30. jane fonda comes full circle

she played lillian hellman in Julia (1977) - it was hollywood's apology to hellman for deserting her when she got blacklisted

now she plays nancy reagan, whose husband leveraged the blacklist into a very successful political career

[mnhtnbb]

31. Great comment. It is not well known that Ronnie was snitching on 'commie'

sympathizers among his fellow actors.

[Gormy Cuss]

32. From one of the links:

He looked up one evening in the White House kitchen to see a lone figure standing in the doorway: It was Martin Luther King Jr., who had insisted on meeting the butlers and maids. Mr. Allen smiled when King complimented him on the cut of his tuxedo.

I hope that this incident made it into the film.

[FloridaBlues]

33. Went to see the Butler with 9 friends but for me personally

Saw it last night it tooke back in time when my dad's shop got fired at and we had nothing left of it.
Very emotional for me.
As far as actors they did very outstanding work. There will be academy awards for many actors.
The audience stood up applauded for 5 Min's straight!

[IDemo]

34. Robin Williams as Ike? I'd have to see it for that, if nothing else

I heard he nailed the voice, but still...