As the main characters I expected them to be likeable.
Like the Huxtables from The Cosby Show? We are shown throughout the characters have flaws.
She bitches constantly about not having as many shoes as (Mrs) Kennedy.
The point about that sequence was that Cecil was taking the secrecy provisions of his work too literally and telling his wife barely anything about his job, in which she was interested. Later we see he realises he is being too extreme and begins to tell her more, such as the fact that Jackie K supposedly had 125 pairs of shoes.
... then has an affair just because her husband is spending too much time working, supporting her and their family.
Well you said it yourself. This kind of thing happens when spouses are constantly apart.
And she never tells him about it or get's held accountable for it in any way.
The fact that Cecil is narrating the picture, suggests that this did occur at some point off screen. We see Cecil realising he is spending too many hours at the White House and taking steps to change the situation.
The main character, the Butler is hard working but the way he treats his son is horrible. His son is fighting for equal rights and all he can do is get mad at him, throw him out of his house for wasting the "money he spent to send him to college" even though his son get's his Master's degree. When his son turns up after not seeing each other for a long time he get's thrown right out without even being told hello.
Again all the characters are shown to have flaws. Even Louis initially won't tell his friends exactly what his father does, as it's inferred he is ashamed. Louis also later doesn't attend Charlie's funeral which annoys both his parents. Cecil is worried that Louis is attending a university in the south and that his civil rights campaigning will bring him into physical danger (which it does). Remember we saw his father get at shot point blank range with zero accountability for the murderer. Yes, Louis does get a Masters after many, many years and by this time we see Cecil is very proud. We also see that he realises, none too late, that he is proud of his son's achievements in civil rights campaigning.
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Sugarminx
9 years ago
Very well said Spookyrat!
I absolutely understood where both characters were coming from, and sympathised with them.
Whitaker gave a lovely performance, but it was actually Oprah who surprised me. I honestly didn't expect her to be as good as she was. I never once thought "oh there's Oprah pretending to be someone else" she totally convinced as Gloria.
So put some spice in my sauce, honey in my tea, an ace up my sleeve and a slinkyplanb
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spookyrat1
9 years ago
There's no doubt that Oprah is not just some run of the mill wannabe. Given the right role and direction, she is a skilled actress.🐭
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