'The Butler' ***1/2

the oscar season truly has begun. 'the butler' is a contender. it's american history from the perspective of afro-americans. finally! well yes you can argue that it has been done before by let's say spike lee. it just has not been universally accessible before. mr lee was just to angry for mass audiences. lee daniels has made an honest, tragic at times yet heartwarming film from the black man's perspective. it has dignity and that dignity comes from the heart and soul of the forest whitaker character cecil gaines. the real life white house butler's story takes us through five or so presidents (mr truman seems to have been left out) and the civil rights struggles and triumphs during their tenure. 

along with mr whitaker's cecil david oyelowo and oprah winfrey shine as son louis and wife gloria respectively. make no mistake i am not a big fan of ms winfrey but her performance here is oscar nom noteworthy as is mr whitaker's and mr oyelowo's. the rest of the cast which is large adds dimension and depth to both the black and white characters. this really is a must see. in the theater. now.

so you may ask why only ***1/2's? well there was a bit of stunt casting in the case of the president's depicted. they did not work. in fact they were a distraction in an otherwise flawless ensemble. and having two of hollywood's biggest liberals, john cuzak and jane fonda, portray richard nixon and nancy regan was just gimmicky. i admire both actors and i am a liberal but it ruined the flow of the film. nitpicking? not really. it just 'hurt' the film and knocked it off it's pace. that being said it is still a must see. now. today. this coming weekend. just go to a theater and support this film. it's a very welcome relief from the summer crap we are subjected to.