Lee Daniels' The Butler

Inspired by Wil Haygood's 2008 Washington Post article about a White House steward who served eight U.S. Presidents, filmmaker Lee Daniels' The Butler stars Forest Whitaker as soft-spoken Cecil Gaines, an engaging amalgamation of several butlers who worked at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. As a youngster in Georgia, Gaines witnessed the rape of his mother (Mariah Carey) and shooting of his father. Trained as a domestic servant by the cotton plantation's elderly matriarch (Vanessa Redgrave), Cecil was told: “The room should feel empty when you're in it.” Gaines perfects his dignified, white-gloved skills at posh hotels until he's asked to join the White House staff. As a silent, first-hand witness to history, he dutifully serves each First Family from 1957 to 1986. His steadfast devotion infuriates his frustrated, alcoholic wife (Oprah Winfrey) and alienates his rebellious elder son (David Oyelowo), who joins the Civil Rights movement. Cuba Gooding Jr., Lenny Kravitz, and Terrence Howard shine in supporting roles, as does Jane Fonda in a cameo as Nancy Reagan, but Robin Williams, John Cusack, Liev Schreiber, and Alan Rickman fare less well as Eisenhower, Nixon, Johnson, and Reagan, while James Marsden and Minka Kelly impersonate the Kennedys. Although the parade of famous faces can be distracting, this is ultimately a challenging and haunting historical epic. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include “An American Story” behind-the-scenes featurette (22 min.), "The Original Freedom Riders" featurette (4 min.), deleted scenes (21 min.), a gag reel (5 min.), the music video "You and I Ain't Nothin' No More" by Gladys Knight and costar Lenny Kravitz, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a powerful drama.] (S. Granger)