THE HELP

If there were flaws in this big-screen adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's bestselling novel, I didn't see 'em.

Granted, I didn't read the book, so I can't really speak to the film version's accuracy in terms of what was on the page vs. what was on the screen. I do know that everything I saw on the screen I loved... not the least of which was Bryce Dallas Howard, who delivers a performance so pitch-perfect and astoundingly great that I've vowed never to malign her talents again. But more on her later.

This is a film with a cast made up almost entirely of women, and each of the characters they skillfully bring to life is a rich, textured, layered, three-dimensional human being. It's a roster of gifted actresses; each one shines independently and, collaboratively, they dazzle.

Set in Jackson, Mississippi in 1963, the story centers on Skeeter Phelan (the always wonderful Emma Stone), a young woman who's just returned home from college and is eager to begin her career as a writer. After reconnecting with some of her former friends, who have all settled into their lives as wives and mothers and society ladies, she gets an idea: write a book about the experiences of the black women working as maids for white families. Through this process, we're introduced to the racially charged climate of the city and the vast array of women, from all walks of life, who live within it.

On one side are the maids. There's Aibileen (Viola Davis, in a positively brilliant, Oscar-caliber turn), who's made of warmth and nobility and courage but who, unsurprisingly, is very nervous about participating in Skeeter's writing project at a time when even being seen socializing together could land both of them in jail. Aibileen's best friend, a spitfire maid named Minny (scene-stealer Octavia Spencer), is even less eager to take part in the book but is fearless and bold in her own hilarious way.

On the other side are the wealthy white women, led by Hilly Holbrook (Howard), a socialite whose picture-perfect façade masks a sinister, hateful, racist core. Hilly drips condescension and bigotry, and rules her home with an acid tongue. At the other end of the spectrum is Celia Foote (Jessica Chastain – a glorious revelation!), a flighty but kind blonde, who oozes goodness and love from every pore... but who's shunned by Hilly and her clique for perceived indiscretions. The two characters are stunning (in the best way) contrasts, a fact driven home to the audience when Minny works for one then the other.

As the stories of these characters unfold, the film gets better and richer, infusing the proceedings with equal parts laugh-out-loud humor and gut-wrenching poignancy. I challenge you not to tear up as Aibileen crouches down to routinely instill confidence and self-worth in her otherwise neglected-by-her-mother, pint-sized charge, Mae Mobley (Eleanor and Emma Henry), by telling her softly, "you is kind, you is smart, you is important." The beauty of tiny moments like that made the movie for me.

Sure, some critics have accused The Help (the book and the movie) of being too "soft" on the tougher issues, but this isn't a documentary nor a hard-hitting examination of the politics of the era – it's a film about the lives of a diverse group of women, set against that harsh backdrop. It's a testament to writer-director Tate Taylor that he manages to paint such a lovely portrait despite the ugliness of the time.

As mentioned, the actresses hit one home run after another. In addition to the star players already cited, the supporting cast batting clean-up are just as terrific. Allison Janney, as Skeeter's ailing mother and a woman haunted by her own mistakes, is unsurprisingly great; Sissy Spacek, though only onscreen briefly, is sweet and goofy as Hilly's doddering mom, Missus Walters; and Cicely Tyson delivers one of the most powerfully moving performances in the film with just a single glance from outside a screen door.

Oh, and Bryce Dallas Howard? Flawless. So deliciously evil and, at the same time, so carefully nuanced as to reveal, ever so slightly, the glimmers of deep-rooted fear that drive her behavior.

The Help is, in short, a film I highly recommend and I can't say enough good things about it. It's a welcome throwback to sprawling summer movies of days gone by, where you can sit back for more than two hours and lose yourself in its colorful, engaging stories. There's no CGI, nothing blows up and there aren't any aliens or car chases or shootouts. It's just an excellent film, filled with amazing women and bushels and bushels of heart.

DVD & BLU-RAY NOTES

Blu-Ray extras include the featurette "From Friendship to Film" about the book to film process, with Tate Taylor, author Kathryn Stockett, "In Their Own Words: A Tribute to the Maids of Mississippi" where actresses Octavia Spencer and director Taylor speak to some of the maids that inspired Stockett's story. There are also 10 minutes of Deleted Scenes and the music video "The Living Proof" by Mary J. Blige.