“THE BUTLER” MOVIE REVIEW. Inspired by Actual Events. Yet Truth is Stranger than Fiction.

“THE BUTLER” PRESS PREVIEW

For starters, even if you strip away whatever’s left of this political decorum, the movie will still be able to sustain by itself .

Every bit a commercial entertainment piece, it highlights the plight of African Americans fighting for racial equality.

It is an arresting work of art that cajoles you on a nostalgic journey down memory lane.

“THE BUTLER” is a 2013 American fiction drama directed by LEE DANIELS.

It is a cinematic triumph.

Writing credit goes to DANNY STRONG, backed aptly by a majestic ensemble cast.

  FOREST WHITAKER is at his best as CECIL GAINES, an African American who was stressed by all kinds of unhappy encounters he faced during a tumultuous period of the 20th Century,

In REAL, the entire film is loosely based on a real life of butler Eugene Allen, who toiled at the White House from 1952 to 1986, serving eight presidents before his retirement.

“THE BUTLER” has been dogged by bad press bombarding it for historical inaccuracies.

Richard Epstein, a Professor of Law at New York University declares the movie as “full of hype”.

He derails film director LEE DANIELS’s misrepresentation of America’s racial past by sensationalizing the Eugene Allen story for box office profits.

The film’s protagonist Cecil Gaines (WHITAKER), witnesses the cold blooded murder of his father, and sees his mother being raped by a white man farmer, but these incidents never took place in real life.

In the movie, Cecil has two children, one who goes to the Vietnam War and the other becomes a Civil Rights pioneer;

This is far from the truth as Cecil actually had only one son.

Later Cecil works in a lavish hotel, and from there is invited to work at The White House.

He is nervous when he first meets President Truman (Robin Williams), then he becomes accustomed to each First Family for whom he works as the years roll by.

Cecil is the central figure for the history that we see unfold, not just as a butler but also as a husband and father.

OPRAH WINFREY captivates in a wonderful performance as Gloria, the lonely, hard-drinking wife.

WHITAKER excels in this film.

He dresses his character a with a stoic grace and dignity,

“The Butler” is meticulously structured.

It also features A-listers in cameos, including Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, Robin Williams, Vanessa Redgrave, John Cusack, Liev Schreiber and Jane Fonda, who plays the former first lady Nancy Reagan.

The film is evocative, haunting and thought provoking.

You are likely to remember this after you leave the cinema.

Go for it !