Fast Forward: The Help - Trailer Breakdown ~ LightsRemoteAction

Looking ahead...

Release Date: August 12, 2011

Emma Stone's career post Easy A is taking off like a rocket. She is quite literally THE hot stuff in Hollywood at the moment with her role in the upcoming Spider-man reboot along with 4 other projects underway. I would have never guessed that her next role though would be in a film of this type, a period piece dealing with a not too popular era from our country's past. While the trailer gives off a vibe similar to those feel good films where an oppressed few (the maids in this case) go up against an enemy (the people of Jackson, Mississippi circa 1962) and triumph against all odds. I really question whether or not we need a film covering such well traveled territory unless it brings something new to the table.

Now there isn't really a whole lot to get into here as far as what the film is going to be like. It is clear as day that the film is going to revolve around Emma Stone's character Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan who has come back home after being away at college where she discovers the harsh truth about how things work down there in Jackson, Mississippi with the predicament her family's maid Aibileen (Viola Davis) runs into some problems. I can't fault the film for it's premise though that is based off the novel by Kathryn Stockett, but I honestly don't feel the need to see this in the theaters this summer. Sure, there is something to be said about revisiting this tainted time from our past and all the immoral acts that occurred (and still occur unfortunately) but I just didn't find myself intrigued by anything shown in this trailer. You can only see so many films dealing with certain subjects so many times until they all start to feel the same regardless of how important the message it is trying to get across. And believe me, there is still place for this type of story, but unless they are holding something back in this trailer I don't think it will have anything new to shed a light on for us.

Beyond Emma being in the film we also get Bryce Dallas Howard as Hilly (funny sidenote here, Bryce played Gwen Stacey in Spider-man 3, where now Emma is playing Gwen Stacey in the Spider-man reboot and now both Gwens are together!). I haven't seen enough of her work to go one way or the other but her part in this appears to be nothing more than the stubborn bitch that gets what's coming to her once that book is published. If that and the town being shocked into realizing the error of their ways is all we have to look forward too then I will pass thank you very much. Even though I am unfamiliar with his work as a director, at least Tate Taylor seems to have an eye about him because just about every shot in the trailer looked mighty pretty and I am a huge sucker for well shot and framed movies.

As much as I adore Emma Stone and appreciate that she is starting to get more adult roles already I don't think this one will require a trip to the theater come August unless by some miracle it ends up garnering a slew of positive reviews. Once again I would just like to iterate that the film itself looks well intentioned and pleasant enough with some fine actors (although I am not too sure about that southern twang to Emma's voice though), I just got a huge feeling of been here done that while watching this trailer is all. I wish Emma the best and hope that I am wrong with my assessment here but unfortunately I don't think I am. Regardless of my thoughts though I think this film will probably do gangbusters with the female crowd when it is released, it's just that kind of movie.

The Help trailer: