Lee Daniels Entertainment
Not part of a collection.
The Butler
One quiet voice can ignite a revolution.
Cecil Gaines was a sharecropper's son who grew up in the 1920s as a domestic servant for the white family who casually destroyed his. Eventually striking out on his own, Cecil becomes a hotel valet of such efficiency and discreteness in the 1950s that he becomes a butler in the White House itself. There, Cecil would serve numerous US Presidents over the decades as a passive witness of history with the American Civil Rights Movement gaining momentum even as his family has troubles of its own. As his wife, Gloria, struggles with alcoholism and his defiant eldest son, Louis, strives for a just world, Cecil must decide whether he should take action in his own way.
- Original title
- The Butler
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- $25,000,000
- Revenue
- $177,313,795
v4lapq4m
May 20, 2023 · via TMDB
I was in a mood for a Robin Williams movie. I hadn't heard of this one and it was streaming free. While Williams had only a small role as Eisenhower this movie was amazimg: thought provoking and tear jerking. Probably not the best for a 5:30 a.m. Saturday, bu this is going on my DVD to purchase list. Following a man(Whittaker) from his childhood on a plantation, to running away from home, getting a job as a house boy in a fancy DC hotel, to butlering for seven different presidents, though Carter and Ford don't make an appearance. It's a family tale, falling in love witn a maid from the hotel(Whimphry), raising two boys, onein politics, from MLK to the BPP to congress, all against daddy's wishes, and one "good boy" who joins the army for what he believes in. I only heard of Whitaker from Young Rock, but he was great.Makeup was wonderful keeping up with aging. Oprah was a great mama, loving her boys, pleasing her man, and a lonely house wife while he worked long hours at the Whitehouse contributing to struggles with alcohol and adultury. One of the best dramad I have seen in years.
CinemaSerf
Apr 15, 2022 · via TMDB
We begin with some brutality at the hands of a character (Alex Pettyfer) who believes that the negroes on their cotton plantation are, quite literally, worthless. He rapes a woman then murders her husband when he raises a very mild objection! His mother (Vanessa Redgrave) takes a liking to their now orphaned boy and promotes him from the fields to be their houseboy. Learning how to keep his head down and to play the game, he quickly succeeds and ends up working in the White House. His period there (ending in the Reagan administration) allows for an interesting conduit to depict the evolution of the American civil rights movement, of changing (and not) attitudes and it gives a little insight into how the Oval Office and it's occupants might work. The supporting cast list is impressive, but with the exception of Oprah Winfrey (his wife "Gloria") most have but fleeting appearances as the story moves along. Their own life is not without heartache and troubles - one of their sons is determined to do what he can to fight for their freedom from oppression, an activity done at considerable peril to him and those around him. The narrative also, gently, exposes discrimination across the board - from salaries and promotion opportunities, to segregated seating at a milk bar, as well as nodding, tragically, to the war in Vietnam. Perhaps it is the gentle way in which it illustrates the prevalent racism that is most potent. It allows us to evolve with him, sometimes slowly, sometimes shockingly and that is to the credit of Whitaker who exudes a decency that is hard not to admire. The production is well paced with a complimentary soundtrack that is well worth a look.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Forest Whitaker
Cecil Gaines
Oprah Winfrey
Gloria Gaines
David Oyelowo
Louis Gaines
John Cusack
Richard Nixon
Jane Fonda
Nancy Reagan
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Carter Wilson
Mariah Carey
Hattie Pearl
Terrence Howard
Howard
Lenny Kravitz
James Holloway
Aml Ameen
Cecil Gaines (15)
Michael Rainey Jr.
Cecil Gaines (8)
James Marsden
John F. Kennedy
Alex Pettyfer
Thomas Westfall
Vanessa Redgrave
Annabeth Westfall
Alan Rickman
Ronald Reagan
Liev Schreiber
Lyndon B. Johnson
Robin Williams
Dwight H. Eisenhower
Yaya DaCosta
Carol Hammie
David Banner
Earl Gaines
Colman Domingo
Freddie Fallows
Nelsan Ellis
Martin Luther King Jr.
Nealla Gordon
Senator Kassebaum
Elijah Kelley
Charlie Gaines (15-18)
Minka Kelly
Jackie Kennedy
Adriane Lenox
Gina
Mo McRae
Eldridge Huggins
Pernell Walker
Lorraine
Jesse Williams
Rev. James Lawson
Clarence Williams III
Maynard
Jim Gleason
R.D. Warner
Isaac White
Charlie Gaines (10)
Joe Chrest
White Usher
James DuMont
Sherman Adams
Robert Aberdeen
Herbert Brownell
Olivia Washington
Olivia
Danny Strong
Freedom Bus Journalist
Dana Gourrier
Helen Holloway
Alex Manette
Bob Haldeman
Stephen Rider
Admiral Rochon
Sam Malone
Young Abraham (uncredited)
Tarra Riggs
Sophie Wilson (uncredited)
Xosha Roquemore
Foxy (uncredited)
Owl Martin Dwyer
Set Dresser
Randall Balsmeyer
Title Designer
Andrew Dunn
Director of Photography
Ruth E. Carter
Costume Design
Candace Neal
Hair Department Head
Clinton Wayne
Prosthetic Designer
Matthew W. Mungle
Prosthetic Designer
Danny Cosmo
Stunts
Danny Epper
Stunts
Meredith Richardson
Stunts
Lee Daniels
Director
Sebastián Silva
Second Unit Director
Bruce Winant
ADR Voice Casting
Dann Fink
ADR Voice Casting
Leah Daniels-Butler
Casting
Bob Weinstein
Executive Producer
Harvey Weinstein
Executive Producer
Laura Ziskin
Producer
Lee Daniels
Producer
Jen Wall
Production Supervisor
Kris Chevannes
ADR Mixer
Michael Piotrowski
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Steve Bartek
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Rodrigo Leão
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Danny Strong
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