If you celebrated the election of an African American as president in 2008, then you ought to see this movie.
If you liked Forrest Gump, but wish it had dealt more with racial issues, then you ought to see this movie.
We went because I wanted to see Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker in a feel-good movie about a butler who served the White House through eight presidents.
It felt good at the end, but the struggle of the civil rights movement enmeshed within was a surprise, in part because I didn't read any previews.
The story begins with a young Whitaker in the cotton fields in 1926 with his died-too-young father and his mentally-stricken mother. Through hard work and savvy mind, he reaches a pinnacle of American servanthood. Along the way, his marriage to Winfrey endures the strains of an overworked employee, and the tension of a radical son who marches actively against black oppression.
Alternately heartwarming and sobering, this one's fine for the theater, but just as well to catch on Netflix on some future rainy day.
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