Thoughts on The Help?

idk, i didn't like it much. it kind of has the concerned "white gaze" on racism and adjacent issues of the African-American community in a white dominated society. it's a movie made by a white director, based on a novel written by a white author dealing with issues of African-Americans while targeting a white audience, and in that, it's just too pc to be really engaging or authentic or even relevant. i took not much out of the movie's shallow and underdeveloped "message". the social unrest and the political atmosphere of the times were touched here and there but without substantive effort to make it effective to the story.

like, in regards to The Help, why do i feel like Hollywhite is being more incognito with their white saviour films? bc in the traditional sense, it isn’t and maybe white saviour isn’t even the right term but this centers a white woman in an African-American milieu narrative. i don’t think that would ever be appropriate, but especially when there’s still very few films made by black filmmakers in Hollywhite as is. also, there’s so many books by black authors that deserve to be adapted to amplify their message, not this white nonsense. who gives a fuck that a good-hearted white girl "cares" about her fellow blacks in her hood? damned if it isn't mostly about her trying to find personal peace.

other than that, it has a good cast, and esepcially Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Allison Janney were great as always and left the most lasting impression (on me). i'm a huge fan of Emma Stone, but she's outclassed by most of the cast here.