The Help

It's the 1960's in Jackson, Mississippi. White folks are very white, and black folks are very black. The big fat line that separated the two is as thick as ever as we watch another film about the civil rights movement in America.
That being said; director Tate Taylor has pleasantly taken a troubled, delicate, and-in the movie business anyway-over used period of time, and added a much more commercial and flavoursome appeal to a story written by Kathryn Stockett. Not that commercial, or flavoursome is necessarily good, but it seems to work for this film.

Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, played by Emma Stone, returns home from college to find work. Before she dose so, it is evident she has different views on how "maids", and black people in general should be treated in the community. After establishing a low end job at the local rag newspaper, a once-a-week column assisting housewives on how to do their job, she consuls with local maid, Abilene (Viola Davis), who is currently employed by the local bully, Hilly Holbrook(Bryce Dallas Howard).
Things move quickly, and instead of focusing on the column, Skeeter decides she will write true accounts,  and feelings that "the help" have for their employers. Hesitant at first, Abilene shares insight to what its like to be a black maid in the sixties. Though interesting, honest and insightful, she cant rely on Abilene alone to provide enough to fill the novel she has planned. She needs other maids to join her and divulge information that will open the eyes of all Americans to the atrocious stamp that has so clearly defined the inferior.

After Abilene's best friend, Minny(played by the brilliant Octavia Spencer) gets fired for using the inside bathroom during a storm that killed 8 people in Jackson, she too, decides to join Skeeter and Abilene. She hilariously recounts stories of torment and revenge, focusing on one shitty story in particular.
If Abilene is the weathered, over worked black women of the time, than Minny is the one that makes that funny. She explodes on to the screen and is the best part about the movie, other than Jessica Chastain's boobies.

The film is a bit jumpy at times, like its desperately trying to locate a definitive protagonist. It goes a bit to long for my liking, although I welcome this as opposed to cutting short a film adapted from a novel. The colours were great, along with the cool 60s get-ups and music.
Emma Stone seems like she is still finding her way, she has had LOTS of work lately and this is a roll unlike any I have seen her in. She was over shadowed by the more experienced Octavia and Viola, but being a film about black people and their rights, who knows, maby that was the intention.

Annnnnnyway. Here is my first review, I hope someone out there finds it helpful. Its a bit late, but better late then never.
I'm giving it 3 out of 5