There are, undoubtedly, scenes in Lee Daniel's The Butler that made me feel quite uncomfortable. Most certainly, many other viewers will echo similar discomfort experienced while watching this near great movie. Unfortunately, the existence of atrocities and flagrant injustices in our not too distant past doesn't mean that they should be whitewashed or airbrushed out of our collective memories! (Absolutely no pun intended here)

Don't let me give you the wrong impression about The BUTLER. In just over 2 hours until end credits, there are but a scant few minutes of images that some of us would, perhaps, just as soon forget. At the heart of this remarkable film, is a tale of a great generational divide between estranged father and first-born son; redemption, change, forgiveness, repentance and catharsis are also pivotal elements in this "Inspired by a True Story" drama painted on a historical backdrop canvass.

Although The BUTLER does highlight the tremendous progress our society has made in the past century toward fulfillment of Dr. Martin Luther King's "Dream", obviously, there is an undercurrent underscoring the fact that this area is one that involves constant self-reinvention to ensure continued improvement.

There are multiple noteworthy elements here. First, Oprah Winfrey's triumphant return to an on-screen leading role. Despite having done numerous voice-overs in recent years, BUTLER represents the end of a 15 year hiatus, when she participated in the ill-fated BELOVED. Her performance, although not quite Oscar nomination caliber, would win, without a doubt, an Academy Award for best "Billionaire Female Actor on the Planet", if such a prize existed! Accepting this role surely resulted in reduced income for Oprah in 2013. If that doesn't make her participation in this project a "Labor of Love", what would?

BUTLER is my pick for 2013 Best Ensemble Performance Golden Globe. Cast Credits give the impression of a page lifted directly from a Who's Who in Acting & Entertainment! Cuba Gooding, Jr.; Robin Williams, in a refreshing, but brief, appearance as a pensive and soft-spoken President Eisenhower; Vanessa Redgrave; Clarence Williams III; James Marsden as President Kennedy; John Cusack, as an ever brooding and duplicitous President Nixon; David Oyelowo, as the rebellious prodigal son; Terence Howard; Lenny Kravitz; Mariah Carey; Jane Fonda, who sparkled as Nancy Reagan and Alan Rickman as her careful-not-to-step-on-her-toes husband, Ronald! The only weak link, in my opinion, was Liev Schreiber as President Lyndon B. Johnson. His portrayal just did not resonate with me.

Quite frankly, despite analyzing carefully for any historical missteps, there were only a couple rather minor ones that were noticeable. About three-quarters into BUTLER, the story-line, focus and viewer interest level seemed to sputter a bit, but then, managed to get right back on track rather quickly.

The film did attempt to provide moments of comic relief from the oftentimes somber on-screen events, most of them evoking healthy laughter but a handful of them kind of fell flat. If it weren't for these few mentioned flaws, BUTLER most definitely would have been rewarded with a 10*Star* rating! When released on DVD, rest assured it will be added to my 800+ collection!

ENJOY! / DISFUTELA!!!

This film is about the life of a White House butler (Forrest Whitaker) from the Eisenhower era through the Reagan era. During this time, lots of changes occur in America--particularly in regard to civil rights. This is seen in snippets as well as its effect on the butler's family.

"The Butler" made a lot of money and a lot of folks enjoyed it--so it was clearly successful. However, as I watched the film, I kept thinking how much better it all could have been had it been a mini-series. After all, about 25 years pass in the film and a HUGE amount of important history transpire....and it's all crammed into only a little more than two hours. As a result, it seems a bit episodic and disconnected--plus a couple presidents weren't even mentioned. The characters, at times, seemed a bit one-dimensional. Plus, an infusion of energy sure would have been appreciated. However, overall, it IS worth seeing but also could have been better. My guess is that some of these factors might be why this odds-on favorite for the Oscars eventually ended up being skunked. Good but not great. For a more detailed look at much of this same material, try watching the great 9-hour mini-series "Backstairs at the White House" from 1979.

By the way, I do think this film SHOULD have received an award. So, I am awarding it the 2014 Planktonrules Award for the stupidest casting of US presidents. Who thought having John Cusack playing Nixon made any sense at all? It was so badly miscast that it made Robin Williams as Eisenhower seem almost plausible!

Some years ago a television mini-series was made from Lillian Rogers Parks' memoir Backstairs At The White House where Leslie Uggams as the White House maid and author of the book chronicled here years from Taft to Eisenhower serving the various first families. The Butler kind of continues the saga as we see life in the White House from Eisenhower through Reagan from the perspective of Cecil Gains, a White House butler. We also get a view of the history of the times as it effects the Gains family.

Cecil Gains who grows up to be played by Forest Whitaker comes from about as humble circumstances as you can find. He and his family are sharecroppers and as a child he sees his father murdered and his mother ravaged by the white plantation owner.

He runs away from the plantation and time and circumstance land him in Washington, DC where he's hired as one of the White House butlers. From there he sees history made as the Civil Rights era passes and lives long enough to see the most incredible progress toward equality made in the USA.

It affects his family as well, wife Oprah Winfrey and oldest son David Oyelowo who is strongly involved in the civil rights struggle. Whitaker and Winfrey do not have a Cosby family marriage by any means. Their marital problems are most realistically portrayed, these are not TV those you find with TV moms and dads. They endure because there's real love there through it all.

Several presidents are portrayed and someone was having a joke at Nancy Reagan's expense casting Jane Fonda as her. It's a real performance though, not a caricature. Of the presidents my favorite is Richard Nixon who John Cusack plays. He might have a supporting actor nomination coming his way.

In fact The Butler might be up for a flock of Oscars and it's possible that Forest Whitaker might get a second one to match his one earned for The Last King Of Scotland. I can see a possible nomination for Oprah Winfrey as well.

This film has the epic quality of Roots. It is a flawless masterpiece of recent times, times that I grew up in. Whitaker's first contact with the Civil Rights era was President Eisenhower's use of federal troops in Little Rock. I remember it well. The Butler gets the highest recommendation from me, especially for young audiences who want to know both the facts and spirit of a tumultuous time.