The new Disney/Touchstone Pictures movie ‘The Help’ was screened in Atlanta a few weeks ago. The movie, which hits theaters August 10th, is getting rave reviews for its talented cast who handle the movie’s sensitive subject with poise and grace.
‘The Help,’ adapted from the book of the same name, is about an author who writes a book from the perspective of Black maids in the deep South.
“Get ready for ‘The Help’ to hit the box office like a tornado,” writes Roger Friedman of ShowBiz411.
Right off the bat: Bryce Dallas Howard, the actress/producer and Ron Howard‘s talented daughter, finally breaks through with this film. She is just mesmerizing as the nastiest piece of work you could hope to find a film. Her Hilly hasn’t got one redeeming feature. She is a racist and truly awful. But despite being a villainess extraordinaire, Bryce is never once campy or stereotypical.
Then there are the heroes: Viola Davis (Madea Goes To Jail) and Octavia Spencer as the maids, and Emma Stone–this is really her summer. I am so proud of Viola Davis, a Tony winner and Oscar nominee who is a powerhouse in any setting. Her Aibileen is the heart and soul of this movie. And Octavia Spencer is going to be an overnight sensation a la Mo’Nique, only extremely endearing and likeable. Add in stand out work from Alison Janney, Sissy Spacek (1976’s ‘Carrie’), Brian Kerwin, Cicely Tyson. And then there’s yet another potential Oscar nominee in Jessica Chastain–unrecognizable–as the lively bad blonde in town.
