"Like the novel on which it’s based, the movie adaptation of 'The Help' will likely be a huge hit with white audiences. But for black viewers it is condescending and frequently insulting, despite admirable performances by Davis and Spencer, who bring a measure of complexity -- actual flesh and blood -- to the characters of Aibileen and Minny. It speaks volumes about the ongoing racial chasm in this country that a feel-good movie for white people will leave many black filmgoers feeling sad -- and pessimistic that America can ever become anything more than 'a nation of cowards.'"
-- From Valerie Boyd's review of The Help, titled "A Feel-Good Movie for White People," in ArtsCriticATL.com
By the way, if you feel like reading a firmly contrasting review -- in other words, one dripping with effusive praise and almost certainly written by a white guy or girl -- this one's pretty amusing.
