The Butler

Now, we're getting to the point where the Oscar movies show themselves. One of the biggest out now is the real-life story The Butler...

Excuse me.

Lee Daniels' The Butler. Thanks a lot, Warner Bros.

Shorthand or longhand, this film is about Eugene Allen, a black man who spent over 30 years in the White House staff. Allen, who rose from "pantry man" to head butler, is represented by Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker).

After a harsh childhood in the South, Cecil finds security working at Washington DC hotels. Eventually, he joins the White House staff and learns the ropes from Freddie Fallows (Colman Domingo). He gets to know the Presidents well during events such as the Civil Rights Movement. At home, he and his wife Gloria (Oprah Winfrey) have to deal with their radical son Louis (David Oyelowo).

Directed by Lee Daniels, obviously, Danny Strong's screenplay was based on Wil Haywood's article A Butler Well Served By This Election. It's a screenplay that provides a great perspective into historical events. It's helped by Whitaker's sympathetic performance as Gaines. He may appear submissive to others, but really, his strength against adversity is just as good as the Civil Rights Marchers. Amongst his supporting cast, Winfrey and Oyelowo stand out immensely.

The Makeup Department, headed by Debra Denson, also deserves mention. They convincingly age Whitaker, Winfrey and Oyelowo over the years; especially so with Oyelowo, who's 37, and he begins the movie as a teenager. Alan Rickman and Jane Fonda, as the Reagans, convincingly look like their real life counterparts. John Cusack, as Richard Nixon, did not, though he at least sounds like him.

The Butler is both funny and serious, sometimes in the same scene. It's a great feel-good movie about an upstanding man. This is one history lesson you should check out.