I want to start by pointing out that this is my 100th post and I have recently surpassed 8,000 views of my blog. Thank you to all of you who are reading and enjoying my random thoughts. If you have not already done so, please share this with any of your friends, family, co-workers or random people on the street that you think might enjoy reading it as well!
And now onto business.....
As I talked about last week, I recently read The Help by Kathryn Stockett in preparation for the movie. I am glad that I read the book because it was very good, but it made me realize that I need to stop reading books before seeing a movie adaptation. Or at least not reading it so close to seeing the movie because then I compare and contrast too much and think about all the things that have been left out from the book instead of just enjoying the movie.
That being said, this was a great film that everyone should see. It was funny and moving and very engaging. I did think it left out a little too much of the racial tension that was very present in the book, but the performances were excellent and really drove the plot.
The characters did talk about how much trouble they would be in if anyone discovered that they were writing the book and there were a few scenes where they show you what kinds of things went on in Jackson, Mississippi in the 60's. However, Skeeter's mother, played by Allison Janney, was not as racist in the movie as she was in the book. Also, they did not really talk about the maids who did experience backlash from their book, aside from Aibileen. The movie as a whole was just a lot more lighthearted than the book.
Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer were all fantastic in their performances. I also enjoyed seeing some Veronica Mars faces in Chris Lowell, Jessica Chastain and Nelsan Ellis. It is really because of this great acting that the movie was so good. With a less talented cast, I do not think it would have made the same impact.
I think it is important for all women to see this film. Not only is it entertaining but it shows us what roles we played in a previous time and reminds us of how far we have come and why we should not take our power for granted.
As many of you know, I think that Ryan Gosling is the best actor of our generation. Unfortunately, he has not been in a lot of mainstream movies, so most people only know him from The Notebook. This is a shame because he has been in some fantastic movies that I recommend you watch immediately.
That being said, I loved Crazy, Stupid Love. It starts out a little slow, introducing you to all the characters and their stories, but it gradually picks up. The general tone of the movie is more serious than I expected it to be, but still really funny at the same time. There is some really great comedic acting from Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. This might be a little surprising for Gosling, who usually plays dark, moody characters, but he is such a fantastic actor that the comedy did not seem unnatural coming from him. This movie was emotional, it was smart, but mostly it was just really funny.
