The Help

Somewhere in California, Lindsey Lohan is watching Easy A, watching private showings of Crazy, Stupid, Love and The Help, surrounded by the August issue of Vanity Fair, sobbing. A weeping, heaving tantrum in which she cries, “That was supposed to be me!”

It’s hard to ignore the buzz proclaiming Emma Stone the one to watch. She’s decidedly different from previous Hollywood starlets, with her husky voice and – get this – talent. One of the best things a rising young actor can do is put themselves in quality projects with more experienced professionals to take some unofficial acting lessons. In both Crazy, Stupid, Love and The Help, Stone has done just that. The Help brings undeniable talent to the best-selling book. Viola Davis earned an Academy Award nomination for the quiet power she brought to Doubt, and her Aibileen is unbreakable and brilliant. Allison Janney’s Charlotte Phelan is a mother in the 1960s coping with Southern society women, fiercely independent daughter, and cancer; it’s enough to merit her own movie. Instead Janney brings grace and warmth to a difficult role, giving both Emma Stone and her determined Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan a lot to learn from. A mere seven years older than Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard could give a master class in villainy as she turns in a sharp-clawed, venom-spewing performance as society deb Hilly Holbrook, whose sense of propriety is intertwined with deep-seated racism and a purported belief in “separate but equal.” Beyond the core characters, the supporting cast is also phenomenal. Especially Octavia Spencer as Minny. Her sassiness provides comic relief and an understanding of what a person needs to survive hard times.

The production design is exceptional and evocative, so it’s easy for viewers to follow the emotional journey of the film, which is indeed extensive. The Help captures everything from profoundly personal conflict to the much larger social issues, making them accessable and real. A brilliant title, too, encompassing so many forms of help - asking for it, providing it, needing it, taking it unwillingly, trying to help and failing, wanting to help and being unable. Help yourself to a night at the movies and catch Viola Davis, Allison Janney, and Emma Stone in The Help.