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Monday, October 10, 2011

MOVIE OF THE WEEK/OSCAR WATCH: The Help


Don’t you just love it when a film exceeds your expectations? Some of the snarky critics' reviews led me to think that this film would be lite and cheesy. However, I found it to be quite heartfelt and poignant. The music was pleasantly subdued and the story was very moving. This is a real crowd-pleaser. It makes you laugh, it makes you cry. In my theatre, you almost had to yank people out of their seats during the credits. The film features one of the best female acting ensembles ever. Seriously, I could fill the Supporting Actress category with characters from “The Help” alone (Jessica Chastain, Octavia Spencer, Cicely Tyson, Allison Janney and Sissy Spacek). The biggest revelation was Chastain who really amazed me with her interpretation of her character. I was stunned that she could look so sexy after playing such a normal-looking housewife in "The Tree of Life". She is really her own biggest competitor, as she keeps turning in magnificent performances this year! Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer are as good as everyone has been saying, though I am on the fence about whether Davis should be considered supporting or lead. If she can go on to win Best Actress, I would be perfectly happy with that. To me, this is a sure contender for Best Picture. I could also see it getting nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Costume Design. As mentioned before, Davis and Spencer are safe bets for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress and I am also holding out hope for Chastain for another Best Supporting Actress nod. Bridesmaids held strong for a while, but this is now my favourite film of 2011 so far.

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