Hatchet reporter Shazray Khan shares her latest movie experience.

“The Help” (2011)

Based on the 2009 novel by Kathryn Stockett, “The Help” centers on the lives of three women living in Jacksonville, Miss. in the ’60s. Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan (Emma Stone), Aibeleen Clark (Viola Davis) and Minny Jackson (Octavia L. Spencer) secretly work together to write a book exposing the mistreatment of black maids by white society.

When Skeeter, a white college graduate aspiring to become a writer, comes back to her hometown, she is assigned to the dull homemaker column for the local newspaper. But her attention is drawn to the way her friends mistreat the black maids who work for them, particularly Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard), the ringleader of her group of childhood friends.

Skeeter enlists the help of Aibeleen, a black maid who has taken care of several generations of white children, to write a novel from “the help’s” perspective. At first, Aibeleen is reluctant to assist Skeeter, but she realizes the discrimination will only continue if she doesn’t.

Minny, another maid, counts herself in for the exposé. With her signature “girl, please” attitude, Minny provides the bulk of the film’s comedic relief.

Throughout the film, we are also reminded that Skeeter’s own childhood maid, Constantine, no longer works for Skeeter’s family for reasons unknown to Skeeter. The unraveling of Constantine’s disappearance adds an appropriate touch of mystery to the plot, with scattered flashbacks to provide glimpses of her relationship with Skeeter.

The film strikes a healthy balance between addressing the serious topic of discrimination, while also providing a number of lighthearted moments.

But it wouldn’t be a movie without a love interest, right? Skeeter’s awful blind date Stuart Whitworth (Chris Lowell) develops into her boyfriend within what appears to be a few days. This aspect of the plot plays out to be unrealistic and irrelevant to the rest of the story, and it detracts from the film’s main focus.

Despite these few shortcomings in the plot, “The Help” proves entertaining and enlightening for most any viewer. I’d recommend this film to anyone looking for a light yet touching story that explores the issues of race and gender.

Genre: Drama
Director: Tate Taylor
Cast: Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia L. Spencer, Jessica Chastain, Sissy Spacek, Mike Vogel, Allison Janney, Chris Lowell
Release Date: Aug. 10