The Help

Shawna, Trish and I saw The Help this evening at the AMC (Yonge/Dundas W).

Set in Mississippi during the 1960s, Skeeter (Emma Stone) is a southern society girl who returns from college determined to become a writer but turns her friends' lives -- and a Mississippi town -- upside down when she decides to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent southern families. Aibileen (Viola Davis), Skeeter's best friend's housekeeper, is the first to open up -- to the dismay of her friends in the tight-knit black community. Despite Skeeter's life-long friendships hanging in the balance, she and Aibileen continue their collaboration and soon more women come forward to tell their stories -- and as it turns out, they have a lot to say. Along the way, unlikely friendships are forged and a new sisterhood emerges but not before everyone in town has a thing or two to say themselves when they become unwittingly -- and unwillingly -- caught up in the changing times.

Though I had tried to read the book a couple months ago and couldn't get into it, I was looking forward to seeing the movie.

It's an excellent movie. It's hard to believe that "coloured" maids were treated like that ... they weren't even allowed to use the same bathroom as their white boss because it spread diseases. The actresses playing the rich society girls played their parts well as did the actress playing the long suffering Aibileen and Minny.

At 137 minutes, it's a long movie but it doesn't seem long. I'd definitely recommend this movie!

Here are Trish, Shawna and I as we were leaving.