I have been anxiously anticipating seeing the movie "The Help" since I heard they were making the movie. I read Kathryn Stockett's novel quickly and loved it. She addressed such a tricky emotional topic with a careful respectful depth that was refreshing. The book did not back away from the ugliness that took place during the civil rights struggle. I was so curious to see how the book translated to the screen.
We've all done that, right? We've gone to see a movie based on a book and walked out disappointed. It's actually not very fair. An author has an almost unlimited number of pages to develop characters and storylines and a director has around 120 minutes. It is an almost impossible achievement for a movie to live up to the promise of a beloved novel.
The Help lives up to its promise. Whether or not you have read this book, you are going to enjoy this movie. You will laugh and more than likely, you will cry. I was able to see an early screening of the movie while at the Blogher conference in San Diego last weekend. At one sponsor's booth I had fake eyelashes put on. Big mistake. When I walked out of the movie it looked like two spiders had attacked my eyes. The Help movie lovingly portrays the complicated relationships between women during the sixties. The bigger picture is the heartbreaking civil rights struggle, but underneath it also explores how much we try to live up to one another and the idea of how our lives should be.
I hope you go see this movie and I hope it moves you. I loved the movie so much that I am hosting a giveaway for The Help. Just add a comment below and you can win this fabulous prize pack from Dreamworks Pictures.
The prize package includes a woman's size tshirt (S-M-L-XL), a pocket jotter and pen, a paper fan, and a combination mirror and nail file. All you have to do to enter the contest is leave a comment below. That's it! I will enter all of the commenters at Random.com and select a winner. Be sure that if you comment as anonymous you give me a way to contact you if you win. The contest will run from today, 8/10/11 to Tuesday, 8/16/11 at noon. Once announced the winner will have 24 hours to respond or I will select another winner. Good Luck and GO SEE THIS MOVIE!
Disclosure: I saw this movie courtesy of Dreamworks pictures and was given a small Help themed gift pack. Dreamworks Pictures is providing the prize package for this giveaway. As always opinions are my very own.
**EDITED TO ADD**
I have been thinking about this all day which told me I had to come back and add this. When I say above that the film "lovingly portrayed" I wanted to make sure I was understood. The setting of this movie was an ugly time for our nation. I felt like the filmakers did a good job of showing where the strength was in this movie. It was not with the bridge playing ladies who showed off for one another and treated "the help" so poorly. The strength in this story resides with "the help" who showed courage,dignity, and sisterhood in the face of humiliation and discrimination. "Lovingly portrayed" meant that love and care were given to tell their story well.
And? Whoever did the casting for the film should win an award as should Viola Davis.
**AND THE WINNER IS**
Random.org selected lucky number 5, Scottie! I already know your information so your prize pack will be on its way soon! Thank you everyone for entering and I hope you've gone to see the movie!
