Lee Daniels' The Butler tells the story of the an African American domestic, played by Forest Whitaker who served in the White House from Eisenhower to Reagan. Inspired by the true life of Eugene Allen, the film tackles the historic tapestry of the Civil Rights Movement as seen through the eyes of a man who laid witness, quietly and mostly invisibly, to all the behind the scenes events and turmoil. Just the simple premise is evocative enough to send chills or squirmy enough to induce fear of what sort of monster could be unleashed in the wrong hands-- the film is a bit of both, a two headed dragon of the like that only such a fascinating and contentious director like Lee Daniels, he of
Precious: Based on Novel "Push" by Sapphire and, more recently,
The Paperboy, could create. Thankfully his latest doesn't feature any water sports.
The Butler generated controversy earlier this summer over the copyright/publicity stunt over it's title-- a 1916 WB silent short film named "The Butler" is registered with the MPAA, which in turn resulted in the hasty re-titling to
Lee Daniels' The Butler. Yet if you look at the resume of Mr. Daniels, his latest seems the least likely (at least on paper) to demand the authorial moniker. It's square and polished and finessed with the gilded veneer that marks the sophisticated look of an awards hopeful, with the backing Harvey Weinstein, ever more so. However, the horny, fussy bearings that mark all Lee Daniels joints pop up and down
The Butler like a candy-colored landing strip. If there one takeaway from each of films, it may be why bother emphasizing a point when you can't pound it into your central nervous system.
