readHERs discussion
The Movie! What did you think?
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I thoroughly enjoyed the movie! I was pleasantly surprised by the acting ability of the characters, especially that of Skeeter. She was not what I had pictured her to be from the description in the book nor did I think she had the depth to play that part from the previews that I had seen on television. I was wrong.Also, Hilly's mom and Skeeter's mom were much more enjoyable and feisty in the movie than in the book.
One scene that the movie left out was the graphic picture of the aborted fetus in the commode in the bathroom scene with Celia . The movie version, although poignant, was less dramatic and thankfully so.
I was also disappointed in the way that the movie downplayed the whole situation with Constantine and her daughter. I really expected to see a white person or a really light-skinned black person playing her daughter's part.
I loved Celia's character, too. She was so likeable to me athough so rejected by the other women in the "inner circle". She didn't dress as flamboyant in the movie as she was described in the book, perhaps a little way out for the times, but she was well suited to fit in with today's fashion.
The future of Minny and Abileen seemed more obsure to me in the movie than in the book, but despite some negative reviews of the movie I would give it 5 stars unlike the 4 stars I gave to the book.
Thanks, Shannon, for a lovely movie date and our discussion period over lunch. Linda
For the question about Hilly: I think Hilly believes in what she believes in and fully expects for everyone else to believe it too, i.e. that black people carry diseases that can harm white people. She thinks she is better than most of the people she is around and all black people. She is determined to get her way. Since we didn't get a chapter from her point of view, it's hard to know where this comes from... but even after going through everything we see her experience, she is still the same person at the end of the book/movie. None of that diminishes her ability to be a good mother to and love her children, I think, mainly because her opinions have nothing to do with her ability to love the people she thinks are deserving of it (i.e, her husband, children and anybody that agrees with her). They aren't "beneath her" or black.
In addition, children are also easily controlled and manipulated. At that age, they love their parents unconditionally and they have little opinion that isn't fed to them. So, I don't think it's not inconsistent with the way she treats everyone else. I wish that her character would have been more developed in the book. There is always a reason why someone believes and behaves the way that they do... I'd love to know her reasons. In the movie, her mother says that her father ruined her. I wonder what that meant...
As for the movie, I loved it! I loved all of the actresses! Hilly's Mom was a favorite for me. I also loved Celia, Minny and Abileen. I loved the end scene with Celia and Minny, as well. I loved the scene with Skeeter's mom. Her telling off Hilly let us see her relationship with Skeeter come full circle and there was a sense that she was sorry for what happened with Constantine.
Overall, the movie was pretty good. I can't say I loved it.I was sort of disappointed with how they portrayed Skeeter. I didn't expect her to be so forceful and mouthy, but I got used to it...Same with her mother; I expected her to be more delicate and elegant.
Hilly was presented exactly how I thought she was in the book. I also liked who they picked for Celia. I liked how they portrayed all of the characters actually, except for what I mentioned above an Constantine.
I don't like how they changed what happened with Constantine. I preferred the book's way.
I did like how they allowed Skeeter's mother to find out and how she defended Skeeter against Hilly at the end.
I would have also preferred the movie to develop Skeeter and Stuart's relationship better but I understand they had to cut out parts to keep it a reasonable length....
So, the book was certainly better but the movie was cool!
I liked the movie! But the book was so much better. I understand that everything couldn't fit into a 2 hour movie. But there was so much missing and slight changes! Like...
Skeeter's relationship with her father was a big contrast to her relationship with her mother in the book. That wasn't really clear from the movie.
The story of Constantine's daughter was different in both her appearance and her visit to Skeeter's home. I preferred the book's version.
The relationship with Stuart was a small part of the movie. Though I don't think it was absolutely essential, it did humanize Skeeter and showed more of who she was as just a regular girl not trying to save the world.
But I also loved the portrayal of Hilly's mom much more in the movie. I loved Abileen and Minny's characters as much as in the book. I like the end scenes with Minny & Celia and Skeeter, her mom & Hilly, which were also different from the book.
Overall, I liked the movie. I think it was a great capture of the story of the help and a great translation of the book to screen!
I thought the movie was just OK. Ceila's character was awesome. She was right on the money. She sounded like her, looked her and acted like her. I loved it.
Minnie was on point as well.
My least favorite Character portrayal in the movie would have to be Constantine. They completely changed the appearance of her character and the story of her daughter. There was one point in the movie where my mouth dropped as Constantine spoke. She didnt at all come across how her character was in the book. I also wanted them to show her daughter "passing" as white. That too me was very important to the her "story."
Overall, the movie was decent, but the book was better. Happy reading!
Mod
Yeah, I agree she would have been good to play the part. In the book they insinuated that because Constantine's father was white, her daughter's genes came from that part of her family. Honestly, I think the movie steered away from the some of the more controversial topics. The movie wasnt geared towards Whites or Blacks specifically and drew both audiences. I think they changed the Constantine situation to avoid the topic of "passing" and the rape of black women by white men and also the sexual relationship many white slave owners had with their slaves (both consenual and non...). This was a feel good movie, that didnt want to go too deep.
How could I forget...Hilly's mom was a riot! I LOVED her character in the movie. Great comic relief.
Hey Everyone!I thought I was going to like the movie better than the book..but I didn't. I really enjoyed the movie and the casting but I felt something was missing.
Missing: I HATED that they didn't let Constantine's story stay true to the book. It was a scene that I was holding my breath for and when the actress opened the door, I felt bamboozled! A friend saw the movie before me and mentioned on facebook that there was a pivotal scene that was changed. Unfortunately I spent most of the movie anticipating what the change would be and when it occurred, I was bummed. **sidenote: I didn't know that Cicely Tyson was going to play that part. I felt like they made her look REALLY old. More like "the help" than "The Help".
I wanted Skeeter to be more awkward and disheveled. I thought Emma Stone was too "perfectly awkward" to pass as my imaginary book Skeeter.
Hilly's mom was hilarious and I appreciated how Minny and Aibileen's relationship was portrayed. I thought the scene on the phone when viewers realize that Minny is a survivor of domestic abuse was poignant. It was only one "graphic" scene but I thought it was more than powerful enough to get the point across.
Mae Mobley was my favorite. She had me with a single tear at the end!
Did you like it more or less than the book? I liked both, but 99% of the time that I see the movie adaptation of a book, I think the book is better. In this case I really couldn’t decide, and since it had been so long since I’d read the book, I’ve been thinking about rereading it. What changes did you like/dislike in the movie that were different from the book? The changes to Constantine’s story was just wrong, wrong, wrong. That was my only major complaint about the movie. The scene that led to Constantine being fired was pivotal in the book, and anticlimactic at best in the movie. I want a re-do!
Did you like the actresses selected for the film? I thought the casting for the most part was well done. Especially with Aibileen, Minny, Celia, and Hilly. One thing I’ve heard a few people say is that the Skeeter’s character looked a lot prettier and put together on screen that the author had implied in the book, but it had been so long since I read it that it didn’t throw me off. The one character that DID NOT fit my original impression from the book was Constantine – I love Cecily Tyson but I did not picture Constantine being so OLD! I can’t figure out why they would do that. They made Constantine look like she must have been seconds away from menopause when she had her daughter. But the whole Constantine story in the movie was wack, so I guess the producers figured one more inaccuracy for her role wouldn’t hurt much more.
Who was your favorite character? and why? Minny and Celia were my favorite characters, and Hilly wins for the character I loved to hate. The acting was spot on. Aibileen and Skeeter were great as well, but I was expecting a great performance from both.
What parts were missing from the movie that you hoped to see? The true story of what happened to Constantine. I was really sorry to see how they changed it in the movie.
Great questions, Shannon! I'm getting together with a group from Meetup to watch and discuss the movie versus the book in a few weeks, so I might have to borrow a few of these! :-)
Did you like it more or less than the book?
What changes did you like/dislike in the movie that were different from the book?
Did you like the actresses selected for the film?
Who was your favorite character? and why?
What parts were missing from the movie that you hoped to see?
Just a few questions to get started :)
Here's my take:
I really loved the movie! From the commercials, I wasn't sure if I'd like the characters but I think that the movie was cast suberbly! I felt that Minny's character was right on the mark for me. She was exactly what I imagined her to be, though I would have preferred her to be a little bigger.
I also loved Celia's character, she was too cute. In the movie, the relationship between her and Minny really came to life. There was an extra scene added at the end that I really loved, but I sure was hoping to see the naked white man in the yard!!!
There were a few scenes added to the movie that I really enjoyed. They were the scene when Celia cooked for Minny, when all of the maids told their stories to Skeeter and the scene with Skeeter's mom told Hilly off.
I liked how they cut down the Skeeter/Stuart relationship because I didn't feel it was very necessary for the movie. I wish they told how Aibileen got the newspaper job at the end and also wanted the story of Constatine's daughter to be exactly like the book and it wasn't.
In general, I thought the movie was really great. I can't decide if I like it more than the book, but I really enjoyed them both.
BTW, Mae Mobely's character was soo good! lol