Penny....at the movies

THE HELP
I am very aware that I am reading this book right now - therefore I was worried about filling in the blanks with my knowledge of how the book goes. You know, when a film leaves out vital story bits and pieces and your left to fill it in using your knowledge! So I was surprised how closely the film follows the book. Even using the same dialogue in places. But there are a few changes. It's worth seeing for the wonderful costumes and the story is great, just something about it doesn't work. There is something that just doesn't come across all that well.
The characters are the same, developed the same and appear exactly as you imagined them so I really don't know how it doesn't fit. I do think they played down just how bad the racial divide and riots actually were. It's left too late in the film and by the time they bring it in, it's a little too late. It forms the second storyline in the book. The primary storyline is the maids and their lives, but the secondary story is about the fight for civil rights and the equality movement.
I felt the film just didn't acknowledge it that well.
It was very very funny in parts and the actress who plays Minnie played it very well. In parts you could forget it was a film and you got sucked into the storyline. However the lady who plays Celia has the most irritating giggle which makes you want to turn it off. In the book, I viewed her not as an airhead but simply a more relaxed character then the other uptight society women. In the film she plays a complete airhead bimbo.
So all in all, worth seeing but not exactly stunning cinema.
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