Story
The Butler is based on a true story. Cecil Gaines (Forest Whittaker) has a hard start to life, working in a cotton field in Georgia during the 1920s. He sees his mother abused and raped by the son of the plantation owner and his father shot dead by the same man.
As soon as Cecil is old enough, he leaves the plantation to find work in the real world. This is much harder than he expects. When he has to rob a store to get some food, he appeals to the cook to take him in. The cook agrees and trains him to be a house servant.
Cecil is so good at his job that a White House employee offers him a job as butler during Eisenhower’s term as president. Cecil goes on to serve eight different presidents through many momentous events, including the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War. One of Cecil’s sons, Louis (David Oyelowo), joins the civil rights movement and later the Black Panthers. This causes much division between father and son. Eventually Louis is estranged from his father. The historical events shown in the movie have a big impact on Cecil’s life and the life of his wife Gloria (Oprah Winfrey) and also on American society.
Themes
Racial prejudice and civil rights; protest riots
Violence
There is quite a lot of violence in The Butler. For example:
Sexual references
The Butler includes some sexual references. For example:
- Some bakers make dough in the shape of a breast with a nipple.
- Cecil and his wife Gloria (Oprah Winfrey) are shown in bed together.
- A neighbour tries to seduce Gloria.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
The Butler shows some use of substances. For example:
- Characters drink a lot in various situations.
- Several characters smoke.
- Gloria Gaines has problems with alcohol and pills throughout her life.
Nudity and sexual activity
There is some nudity in The Butler, including a briefly shown poster of a naked woman.
Product placement
The following products are displayed or used in The Butler: McDonalds, Coca Cola and Exxon.
Coarse language
There is some coarse language in The Butler.
Ideas to discuss with your children
The Butler is a drama based on a true story that is both heart-wrenching and triumphant. It is a long movie, beginning with slavery, covering the civil rights movement and including Barack Obama’s election. The movie emphasises the historical significance of all these events happening in the course of one man’s life.
Because of its themes and several violent and disturbing scenes, The Butler is more suited to older teenagers and adults.
The main messages from this movie are that people shouldn’t be discriminated against because of the colour of their skin and that it’s important to stand up for what you believe in.
Values in this movie that you could reinforce with your children include respect for all people and non-violent protest.