Anyone who mistreats a housemaid should remember who has a lot of experience airing dirty laundry.
Despite the jaunty music in this trailer for The Help (the horn section from “Last Night” by The Mar-Keys figures prominently), the undercurrents are grim. Set in pre-civil rights era Mississippi, the trailer sets up the freespirited female bonding between ahead-of-her-times aspiring journalist Skeeter (Emma Stone) and two put-upon black maids, the stoic Aibileen (Viola Davis) and defiant Minny (Octavia Spencer). There’s not much hint of the heavier drama that unfolds. As an introduction to those not familiar with the the bestselling novel by Kathryn Stockett, this early look at the movie leans heavily on the lighter elements.
We get a taste of the plot: Skeeter decides to write something important and meaningful, and sees quiet strife in the lives of these two housekeepers, not to mention the many others like them. Though they spend much of their lives in the homes of these wealthy white employers, cleaning, cooking, and looking after their children, they earn modest livings but not much respect. One particularly contemptuous mistress of the house, Hilly (a chipper and hateful Bryce Dallas Howard) wants to create a law that requires black household workers to use separate, exterior bathrooms.
That sets off the story’s collision of class and race, set in a time when few people of color felt they had the opportunity to stand up for their own dignity. Those who did could count on fierce resistance. We see the relationship forged between Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny becomes one of trust first, not love. These are people from two different worlds, uniting in common cause. Maybe the love comes later. What happens next? Unless you grab the book, that question won’t be answered until The Help opens August 12. Check out the trailer below:
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Read more:
‘The Help’ author Kathryn Stockett sued
‘The Help’: On the set
Is it just me or does the writing leading up to the trailer just feel like the writer copied and pasted the press release?
good catch. it really does.
this books is so good, i really hope the movie lives up to it, i’d be quite sad if it doesn’t
I loved the book, and I love Emma Stone. I haven’t been so excited for a movie in quite awhile. I was totally on board with all of the casting – except for Bryce Dallas Howard. This trailer makes me feel a little bit better, but I still can’t shake how different she looks from her character in the book. She’s supposed to be a chubby brunette!
Google “chubby brunette”. You won’t see BDH, but you will see something disturbing.
EMMA STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE !!!!!
Yay! As a big fan of the book, I am so excited to finally see the trailer for this film! And I have to say, everything looks pretty much spot on. Very much looking forward to this!
I really want to read the book after seeing this trailer. This movie looks really well done.
@Marie, the book is so good, if you can read it you will not be sorry. It is so well written.
Good trailer-I went from “oh, please” to “I wanna see that!”
Bryce Dallas Howard’s character’s name is Hildy, not Hilly.
No, it’s Hilly.
Not sure I agree a hundred percent with your police work, there.
Bwhahahaha!! Good one!
No Allison it is Hilly..
If you read the book, you’d know her name was Hilly. Read the book.
What cute cliches. Sassy black women and their white savior.
I was thinking the exact same thing.
Its definitely cliched. It will be trivialized crap. The book is awful, dismissive and trite.
I’m sure you did not read the book.
Totally disagree. Great book. Great movie. Saw it today. Laughed and cried. Awesome acting.
i really feel like the book tries to take the cliche and do something different. yes, skeeter gives the maids an opportunity to have a voice — but to me, it was clear the black women are their own heroes, found their own bravery and found their own success. and there definitely are places where it’s acknowledged that it’s the maids who are risking their lives (though skeeter is also taking her own kinds of risk). i recommend giving the book a try.
Yeah, that’s not what happens. Skeeter is not portrayed as a savior, and we are not suppose to think the maids have been saved.
Excellent point, the book doesn’t have a everything is perfect ending and some things don’t end up perfectly. The writer helped, but she was not the story.
Read the book.
Allison – you are wrong. It is Hilly.
Emma Stone and Bryce Dallas Howard are amazingly gorgeous. These sensual young women are indescribably beautiful.
I haven`t seen the trialer yet but if Viola Davis is in it you know it`s going to be good. She`s is one of the BEST AND ACTRESSES OF TODAY! I saw clips of `Fences` on broadway and she was out of this world great, and also `Doubt`. I see more Oscar nominations in her future and maybe even a win.
As a black female writer, whose folks worked in “white folks houses” I’m offended by the fact a white woman wrote the book and that now they’re making a movie about it. I won’t be seeing it. It would be nice if folks who LIVED the story could tell their own stories with the same diverse backing.
Did you read the book? It’s excellent, and the author was raised by black maids in Mississippi in the 60s. I think that it’s pretty irrational to completely dismiss a book based on the author’s skin color.
not in this case, it’s not
Why, Erin? The white author lived in the same time and place as the women who she based the black characters on. Plus, this is a novel – it’s not as though she is writing a purely biographical piece, and it gives the author some more room to flesh out her black characters with additional research (i.e., it’s not just from the white character(s)’ perspective). Just because the author is white doesn’t mean she isn’t capable of telling a story, and doing a service to the black women she portrays. No one is preventing any black maids from writing their own book, novel or otherwise, about their experiences in the south in the 60s. I’d rather hear interesting stories than get all nit-picky about who wrote them and then act as though it were noble.
Kathryn Stockett wrote the novel based on her own experiences during the 1960′s living in the South. Thus, the things she wrote about were semi-true, and some of the plot was in fact based on her life.
I loved the book and know Kathryn personally, but your timeline is a bit off. She was born in 1969 so technically she “grew up” in 1960′s Mississippi, but I think you’ll agree that her life experiences were not formed until later. I think her shedding sunlight on this awkward subject is fantastic and should not be villified based on her skin color. Ironic?
You’re boycotting the movie just because the author is white? That’s racist.
Well then Cheri, why don’t you have those folks that “LIVED” it, write it? You are the racist here, based on your comment. I would never decide NOT to read a book based on the fact that it was written by someone of another race. Your attitude is an example of “everyone’s out to get me because I’m black”. Why don’t you just READ THE BOOK??!! The heroes in it are almost all black; only a few are white. As long as people continue to have the attitude you do, racism will remain alive & well.
If you know anything about the issues with MS you would not be saying anything about racism. I lived there and it is still alive and kicking. Kathryn Stocketts brother’s maid/nanny is almost the replica of her character by looks and her life. This is why there is a lawsuit and per Mrs. Stockett’s father the money the maid is requesting is small, however, to the maid it is not $75,000.00. Should she give her the small amount of $75,000.00 and call it quits as a gesture of good faith or maybe set up a scholarship in the maid’s deceased son name? I have read the book, it made me laugh and cry, however, if it was something that my grandmother/mother lived through I would think twice. I am not of any other race then Caucasian and will not see the movie until this issue is resolved. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes before judging and make sure all the facts are seen. We should live well enough alone; however, some races are willing to leave the past in the past, while others want to profit from it and should not.
SK – I’m not quite sure of the point you’re making…….I can assure you, I know plenty about racism being ‘alive & well’; I live in the Deep South myself and have seen all aspects of it my entire life. This is why I found this book so refreshing – a look at all sides of this issue. I’m completely putting myself in the other persons’ shoes – again, 95% of the heroes in this book are black, only a very few are white. (The only negative black person I can recall is Minny’s husband, Leroy). This story paints every one of the characters as human beings – the good ones and the bad ones – warts and all. Anyone who feels that they are ‘similar’ to the character Aibilene should be flattered – she is a woman of dignity, honesty, and honor. There is nothing negative about her!! Correct, $75,000 is a lot of money to someone who makes a small wage….but it’s not a small amount of money to ANYONE. I don’t understand why the author should be made to pay a settlement when all she has done is write a book; maybe the character is based on a real person(s), maybe not. But in no way is the character Aibilene anything but a POSITIVE. Ms Stockwell chose to write about this subject because I guess she felt there was a story to be told. We’ve come a long way her ein the South but still have farther to go. Racism will continue when people (of all races) continue to take advantage and make ‘something’ out of ‘nothing’. This is simply political correctness run amok. How sad. You’re right, some will always want to profit form the past and in this case, it looks like it is the one pressing the lawsuit.
Steph,
I am not too sure about your comment….. Since we are pointing fingers. The person who said $75,000 is not much was a quote from the author’s own father. As for letting go maybe it takes time for wounds to heal from Cheri. This forum is not to point fingers but to allow constructive criticism and for people to air their opinions and not be criticized for saying how they feel about the book. I said I enjoyed the book. I will not see the movie since the information about the family having a maid that mirrors her life and looks- is not profiting from this. The author’s father said this is not much money, however, in mind it is allot. We can agree on it is a good book and $75,000.00 is allot of money. We will disagree on how Cheri can post her comment and not be criticized for how she feels and what might happen with the lawsuit let the attorneys argue that one out. Enjoy the movie……
Cheri, I am a Black woman, too. I honestly don’t understand your anger. You said you’re a writer.Did you have the same idea as this author? Do you feel she stole it from you? The author wrote a great story based on her life experiences.
Seriously? It’s a shame you can’t simply appreciate good literature for the wonderful story that it is, with its fully developed characters, both black and white. Rather you chose to judge it “offhand” and condemn it without even reading it. Hmmm, you sound a lot Hilly Holbrook
I read the book it was really good, I did not find it trite, it was touching, and really well written. I don’t really think Skeeter was a savoir or anything, the maids did a lot for themselves, and they treated Skeeter pretty badly at first.
OMG this is going to be AMAZING! Absolutely love the book!!
Did we need a trailer 4 months before the movie is out?
What a weird thing to complain about.