Drew Wonder
Superstar
and aren't just blindly hating on it, what did you think? I was pleasantly surprised.
my post from another thread...*SPOILERS*
they definitely didn't shy away from the racism blacks experienced during the 60s. a few scenes in there were pretty raw, especially the freedom rider scenes. made you fully appreciate what they really went through
they didn't demonize the son, even when he went through his militant phase. in fact, for the most part, the film depicts him in a good light while showing how his father was being stubborn in his refusal to understand why he was doing what he was doing. nice moment at the end when the Butler acknowledges that his son is a hero, even though he initially believed he was a criminal
they didn't make the Butler a saint. they established at the beginning why he felt the need to be subservient but later on in the movie they actually show how conflicted he felt, especially when he's invited to the White House dinner
they taught me a bit of a lesson. I've always viewed maids and butlers as strictly mammies and uncle toms. but while it definitely showed how problematic it was, they also did a good job of showing that there was some dignity in their work and that there was a bit of empowerment in it, but in a different, more subtle way
very good portrayal of Nixon. in fact, of all the presidents he felt the most accurate as far as his private interactions
my issues with the film:
they didn't give the Panthers a fair depiction imo. it wasn't over the top but it wasn't as in depth as it should've been, especially when they spent so much time on the freedom riders. they did a good job of showing why the son would make the transition to the panthers and they touched on the way in which the government targeted them, but in the end they fell into the simple narrative of the Panthers being violent extremists, which I found to be the most disappointing aspect of the film. seemed like they didn't wanna go too deep for fear of scaring the white audience away.
the Obama nuthugging at the end was a little too over the top
a lot of it had a Forrest Gump feel to it, the way it just kind of went through historical events in an episodic way. kind of lessened the emotional impact for me
had a lot of powerful moments but also a lot of moments that were clearly put in there for Oscar season. at times it felt like a movie that was trying to win an Oscar
my post from another thread...*SPOILERS*
they definitely didn't shy away from the racism blacks experienced during the 60s. a few scenes in there were pretty raw, especially the freedom rider scenes. made you fully appreciate what they really went through
they didn't demonize the son, even when he went through his militant phase. in fact, for the most part, the film depicts him in a good light while showing how his father was being stubborn in his refusal to understand why he was doing what he was doing. nice moment at the end when the Butler acknowledges that his son is a hero, even though he initially believed he was a criminal
they didn't make the Butler a saint. they established at the beginning why he felt the need to be subservient but later on in the movie they actually show how conflicted he felt, especially when he's invited to the White House dinner
they taught me a bit of a lesson. I've always viewed maids and butlers as strictly mammies and uncle toms. but while it definitely showed how problematic it was, they also did a good job of showing that there was some dignity in their work and that there was a bit of empowerment in it, but in a different, more subtle way
very good portrayal of Nixon. in fact, of all the presidents he felt the most accurate as far as his private interactions
my issues with the film:
they didn't give the Panthers a fair depiction imo. it wasn't over the top but it wasn't as in depth as it should've been, especially when they spent so much time on the freedom riders. they did a good job of showing why the son would make the transition to the panthers and they touched on the way in which the government targeted them, but in the end they fell into the simple narrative of the Panthers being violent extremists, which I found to be the most disappointing aspect of the film. seemed like they didn't wanna go too deep for fear of scaring the white audience away.
the Obama nuthugging at the end was a little too over the top
a lot of it had a Forrest Gump feel to it, the way it just kind of went through historical events in an episodic way. kind of lessened the emotional impact for me
had a lot of powerful moments but also a lot of moments that were clearly put in there for Oscar season. at times it felt like a movie that was trying to win an Oscar
They'll go see movies about black people just fine. As long as the characters in the story aren't powerful, intelligent and capable. It has to be some we shall overcome sh*t.
......for real brah 
Forest Whitaker's character really said at one point..."why are you down there making trouble, son? the white man is trying to make things better for us." 
in a movie about being a servant and a butler 
at a Jack Johnson flick. They are having a hard time getting a James Brown film made, so I doubt we'll get to see Jack anytime soon 
