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Help, The (12A)

Drama

An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960's decides to write a book detailing the African American Maid's point of view on the White families they work for, and their hardships they go through on a day to day basis.


The critical consensus

The Help manages to be both moving and thought-provoking.

***(*)(*)Paul Dale, The List, 17/10/2011

The whole thing’s about as subtle as a size 11 in the ear. But you have no idea about who these characters really are. Still, Viola Davis and Octavia ­Spencer are ­great as two of the most put-upon maids.

**(*)(*)(*)Daily Record, 21/10/2011

A simplistic portrayal of historic race relations boosted by terrific performances from some of the best actresses working in Hollywood today. Sure, it’s corny, but it mostly works.

***(*)(*)Anna Smith, Empire Online, 24/10/2011

Gives in to sun-dappled schmaltz towards the end, but satisfying all the same.

***(*)(*)Alison Rowat, The Herald, 27/10/2011

The Help not only has its cake and eats it, it makes short work of the fried chicken, grits and sweet potato pie, too. That’s a hard trick to pull off, but these girls – with Mr Taylor’s help, of course – make it look deliciously easy.

****(*)Robbie Collin, The Telegraph, 26/10/2011

Powerful, terrifically acted by all concerned and deeply emotional in places, this is a fine, laudable piece of story-telling.

Paul Greenwood, Evening Times, 27/10/2011

Suffers from an obsequious lust for stereotypes.

*(*)(*)(*)(*)Antonia Quirke, Financial Times, 27/10/2011

Terrifically performed, with enough humour and heart that you’ll ignore its flaws.

***(*)(*)Lewis Bazley, Little White Lies, 27/10/2011

Viewed as an airbrushed, Dettol-heavy fairytale...it's rousingly effective.

***(*)(*)Xan Brooks, The Guardian, 27/10/2011

This material would surely have worked better in an HBO-style miniseries than in a one-off feature.

***(*)(*)Geoffrey Macnab, The Independent, 28/10/2011

The Help filters the harsh realities of the Civil Rights movement through the experiences of a white protagonist and, in the process, manages to transform a tale of struggle into a feel-good piece of fluff.

**(*)(*)(*)Alistair Harkness, The Scotsman, 28/10/2011

What unfolds is a fascinating and finely-judged relationship drama as the two worlds mix properly for the first time, blessed with vivid, outsize characters and some wonderful, often very funny performances.

****(*)Henry Fitzherbert, Daily Express, 28/10/2011

The Help could well be the first drama about racial oppression to induce nostalgia in mainstream audiences.

Jonathan Romney, The Independent on Sunday, 30/10/2011

The stories of humiliation and exploitation the black women tell (and the film shows) are deeply moving, and there's a fine performance by Viola Davis as Skeeter's main connection. But the movie is facile, not a little patronising, and it ends up as crude and sentimental.

Philip French, The Observer, 30/10/2011

A faithful, heart-warming adaptation that will satisfy fans of the book, divert the uninitiated and tickle the Academy’s fancy. You’ll never look at a chocolate pie the same way again.

***(*)(*)Jane Crowther, Total Film, 31/10/2011

All in all then, while The Help may pack less of a punch than Paul Haggis’ Crash and Spielberg’s The Color Purple, it has enough humour and genuine warmth to deflect from its weaknesses.

***(*)(*)Steven Campbell-Harris, The Journal, 11/11/2011


Features about Help, The (12A)

The Help: Civil Rights film triggers race row

Sandro Monetti, Daily Express, 12/09/2011

Civil rights role in The Help is a real eye-opener for young Hollywood actress Emma Stone

Siobhan Synot, Daily Record, 11/10/2011

The Help: set report from Mississippi

Jessamy Calkin, The Telegraph, 15/10/2011

Is The Help helping? Domestic servants on film in today's Hollywood

Xan Brooks, The Guardian, 20/10/2011

The Help: the latest guilt-edged Hollywood history lesson

John Patterson, The Guardian, 22/10/2011

The Help: the film dividing America

Philip Sherwell, The Telegraph, 23/10/2011

Yesterday's pain today

Alison Rowat, The Herald, 27/10/2011

The Help: Mesmerised by the green of Mississippi

Pamela Petro, The Telegraph, 26/10/2011

Why 'The Help' needs help

David Gritten, The Telegraph, 04/11/2011

Help, The (12A)

Where and when?

General release. Check local listings for show times.

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