We needed some girl-time and this was just the film to include in our afternoon/evening of fun!
I read the book in October 2010. I loved the book.
In my opinion, this is a good case of a film adaptation following true to the book and the author's vision. Stockett's descriptions of the settings throughout the book and the adherence to that by the producer and director means that the film adaptation was very similar to my the way I imagined as I read the book. I was quite pleased.
One can't help but love the cast. I was unfamiliar with most of them and that can be a good thing; no preconceived ideas, you know.
Emma Stone as beloved Skeeter.
Viola Davis as Aibileen.
Bryce Dallas Howard as the spiteful Hilly.
Octavia Spencer as the lovable Minny Jackson.
Jessica Chastain as the unaware but lovable Celia Foote.
Ahna O'Reilly as Elizabeth.
Mary Steenburgen was believable as the liberated Elain Stein.
Allison Janney as Skeeter's momma. (I loved her as Peach in Finding Nemo!)
I loved Cicely Tyson as Constantine Jefferson.
Sissy Spacek as Missus Walters had the entire cinema in stitches! (More than once!)
IMDB.com
This film was a winner, just as the book was. We loved it. It is one that I will purchase when it hits the stores on blu-ray.
The only cautions before seeing the film with children are:
The film carries a PG13 rating for thematic material. All of it is real-life stuff; nothing stunning or unimaginable in real life. One such scene is the portrayal of an extreme miscarriage. It's a bloody scene, as one might expect. It might mean some explanations would be necessary depending on the child. There is some language; none that startled me given the subject matter. There is a scene in the book that involves the appearance of a naked man; that is left out of the film since it wasn't an absolutely necessary scene. Good choice I think...although it was a very funny portion of the book!
I can't wait to see this film again soon!
My former review of the book:
The Help by Kathryn Stockett on BoundTogetherForGood.blogspot
