The Butler

Cecil Gaines was a sharecropper's son who grew up in the 1920s as a domestic servant for the white family who casually destroyed his. Eventually striking out on his own, Cecil becomes a hotel valet of such efficiency and discreteness in the 1950s that he becomes a butler in the White House itself. There, Cecil would serve numerous US Presidents over the decades as a passive witness of history with the American Civil Rights Movement gaining momentum even as his family has troubles of its own. As his wife, Gloria, struggles with alcoholism and his defiant eldest son, Louis, strives for a just world, Cecil must decide whether he should take action in his own way.

Cast

Forest Whitaker

Forest Whitaker

as Cecil Gaines

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey

as Gloria Gaines

David Oyelowo

David Oyelowo

as Louis Gaines

John Cusack

John Cusack

as Richard Nixon

Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda

as Nancy Reagan

Cuba Gooding Jr.

Cuba Gooding Jr.

as Carter Wilson

Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey

as Hattie Pearl

Terrence Howard

Terrence Howard

as Howard

Lenny Kravitz

Lenny Kravitz

as James Holloway

Aml Ameen

Aml Ameen

as Cecil Gaines (15)

Reviews

CinemaSerf

We begin with some brutality at the hands of a character (Alex Pettyfer) who believes that the negroes on their cotton plantation are, quite literally, worthless. He rapes a woman then murders her husband when he raises a very mild objection! His mother (Vanessa Redgrave) takes a liking to their now...

v4lapq4m

I was in a mood for a Robin Williams movie. I hadn't heard of this one and it was streaming free. While Williams had only a small role as Eisenhower this movie was amazimg: thought provoking and tear jerking. Probably not the best for a 5:30 a.m. Saturday, bu this is going on my DVD to purchase lis...

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