Let me start by saying this article isn’t about naming the best film of 2011. That’s another discussion for another time. This article isn’t even about whether or not I enjoyed The Help, though I did indeed love the film. Instead, this article is to let everyone know I believe The Help is the first Best Picture lock so far this year, and why I even believe it is an early frontrunner to win it all. Bold, I know, but here are my five reasons for such an opinion.
1.
Oscar loves period
Which period you ask? Shakespearian times, Elizabethan times, the Civil War period, World War 2, the ’60s, the ’70s. Any time other time than the present.
That’s not to say films representing the present day can never win the Best Picture Oscar. Films like The Best Years of Our Lives, Midnight Cowboy, Ordinary People and American Beauty all tapped into the zeitgeist of their times and were honored by the Academy.
It’s just that most years many of the nominees along with the eventual winner have been period pieces. Whether they’re the best films out there or not. If you don’t believe it just check out the number of Best Picture noms the team of Merchant-Ivory picked up between 1985 and 1993. They were up for Best Picture total of three times in 8 years.
However, I must admit, the Academy had shown a more modern approach in recent years with The King’s Speech being the first period piece in the last seven years to win Best Picture (I would say eight but is The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King a period piece?). Yet, that King’s Speech win clearly showed this rule is still in full effect.
The Help is a period piece set in 1963, during the Civil Rights movement. Which brings me to reason #2…
2.
Hollywood loves positive
social messages
When it comes to social messaging The Help hits on all cylinders. The book has been a runaway best seller since it came out in February of 2009 (it’s currently Number 1 on both the New York Times Paperback and E-Book lists) so I’m not giving anything away when I tell you The Help is the story of a young white woman who empowers a group of African American maids in Jackson, Mississippi during one of the most turbulent times in the history of the country. Most of the action takes place during 1962 and 1963, the latter of which being the year Medgar Evers was murdered in Jackson. An event that changed the face of the civil rights movement almost as much as Reverend Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech in Washington, DC later that year.
The film carries a strong message of hope, unity, and racial understanding that is sure to pack a wallop with many of the Academy’s voting members in the same way the book has done with readers all over the country. The book’s message is so positive that conservatives and liberals alike have universally embraced it.
The Help is also being embraced overseas. Dreamworks and Disney have great hopes for the worldwide box office because the book has recently gone Number 1 in many countries around the world including major markets like Great Britain and France.
3.
Actors love great actors
and great acting
The Academy is made up of several branches. Producers, directors and writers as well as cinematographers, production designers and costumers all have a say in who takes home the golden statue. But the largest branch by far is the acting branch. They make up 22 percent of the voting membership and their power is undeniable. One needs only to look at last year’s winner, The King’s Speech. It was a terrific film but it could hardly called a groundbreaking film. The film was carried by standout acting performances. Compare The King’s Speech to films like Inception, The Social Network or even Toy Story 3 and you’ll see what I mean. None of those films could have been filmed the way they were even a decade ago, whereas The King’s Speech could have been filmed at almost any time after the advent of the talkie with very few adjustments… The acting sold it.
The Help is bursting with standout performances and actors who are beloved by their fellow thespians. Start with The Help‘s veteran actresses. Allison Janney has won four Emmys as well as four SAG Awards for her role on “The West Wing”, which is all you really need to know about her standing with her fellow actors. Viola Davis, who plays Aibileen is a two time Tony winner and was also nominated for an Oscar for her role in Doubt. As for Sissy Spacek. She’s Sissy Spacek. Enough said.
Then there are the newer kids on the block. Start with Octavia Spencer, a straight up scene-stealer who was already being talked about as an Oscar contender just from the early buzz around her performance in this film. Spencer is an old friend of both Tate Taylor, the director and Katherine Stockett who wrote the novel. Stockett even modeled some of the traits of Spencer’s character, Minny, in the book after spending a vacation with the exuberant actress. Spencer definitely has a chance to bring home the Oscar this year for Best Supporting actress. That is, unless she ends up splitting the vote with one of the other relative newcomers in the cast.
Those actors include current Hollywood “It” girl, Emma Stone, Jessica Chastain, who is suddenly one of the hottest young actresses in town and last but not least Bryce Dallas Howard. I’ll be honest, I’ve never much liked Howard in anything I’ve seen her in before. She’s really good as the heavy in this movie, and it certainly won’t hurt that she’s Ron Howard’s daughter come Oscar time.
Not all of these actors will get nominations. Still the overall presence of this many well-regarded actresses playing juicy roles will not hurt The Help when it comes time for the Academy members to vote for Best Picture.
One more thing. Tate Taylor doesn’t consider himself an actor but as he explained himself, “I sometimes help out my friends.” One of the friends he helped out was a woman by the name Debra Granik who asked him to act in a film about meth dealers in the Ozarks. That film, Winter’s Bone, made a surprise appearance in the Best Picture category last year. Taylor played the role of Satterfield in Winter’s Bone, which gave Taylor a trifecta of sorts. Acting cred, indie cred and Oscar cred.
4.
Tate Taylor does Steven Spielberg better than J.J. Abrams
Sometimes people forget there are two kinds of Steven Spielberg movies. The first is the more recognized, the tentpole director who delivers straightforward popcorn flicks like Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Jurassic Park. Then there is the more serious, even sentimental Spielberg. Oscar Spielberg. The man who makes films like The Color Purple, Saving Private Ryan and Catch Me If You Can. Tate Taylor has made one of the latter Spielberg films.
The Help deals with very serious issues and things that actually happened, but this isn’t some little indie film. It looks gorgeous, it hits all the right notes and it envelops the viewer in a way that only great Hollywood films can accomplish. It also features a mixture of light moments mixed in with serious moments just like the best Spielberg films. That was a big component of Katherine Stockett’s novel as well, but Taylor’s deft touch as a director allows those humorous moments to come to life without seeming gratuitous.
5.
The story behind the making of The Help is almost better than the story that ended up on the screen
Not since Sylvester Stallone insisted on playing Rocky Balboa in the original Rocky film has Hollywood seen a story as good as the one surrounding the making of The Help.
Tate Taylor and Katherine Stockett both grew up in Jackson, Mississippi but did not know one another until they were adults. Once they were introduced to each other they became fast friends. They both had seemingly impossible dreams. Taylor wanted to be a Hollywood film director and Stockett wanted to be a successful novelist. They believed in each other even when they didn’t believe in themselves.
Ten years ago, while Taylor was kicking around the indie film world, Stockett sat down and began writing her first novel. It took her five years to complete. After receiving over 60 rejections, she was about to give up when she gave it to Taylor to read. He loved it and told Stockett, “This is fantastic. You can’t give up. This will be published and if it isn’t I’ll make it into a movie.” Taylor then convinced another friend, producer Brunson Green, to help buy the film rights and Taylor began adapting the book into a screenplay.
According to Stockett, Taylor’s strong belief in her work was one of the main reasons the author was able to continue sending the book out despite the numerous rejections it received. The book finally did get picked up and the rest as they say is publishing history.
It’s now also film history. When Stockett’s book became a runaway bestseller every studio in town wanted a crack at making it but most of them didn’t want to get stuck with an indie director they’d never heard of before. It’s one thing to take a chance on David Bowie’s kid Duncan Jones, but a director whose biggest film to date was a movie called Pretty Ugly People that barely got a release is another story. Stockett stuck by her friend, which is part of the reason Tate Taylor got his first big break as a director.
There’s more to the story, which I’m sure will be covered thoroughly as the film comes out this Wednesday. For example, Taylor’s script turned out so good that nearly every top actress in town was beating down the director’s door for a chance to be in his movie. Chris Columbus’s 1942 Films came on board because they believed so strongly in the project. Say what you will about Columbus, he knows a little something about making hit movies. Columbus then got Spielberg and Dreamworks involved and made sure Taylor had a big enough budget to make the kind of film he wanted to make and a crew that could support his vision.
“The story of the making of this film has been fantastic,” Producer Brunson Green told me the other day. “And every time you think it can’t get better it does.”
The story is about to get a lot better. The word out of preview screenings is that audiences are in tears of joy as they leave the theater. I know that’s true because I ran into a woman after the screening I attended who told me she had to sit down in the lobby because she was so moved by the film.
“We’ve had about 300 screenings so far,” Green explained. “And it’s been a total success. People have an emotional connection to the material and they share that with their friends. Just like what happened with the book.” I believe The Help is also certain to connect with the Academy voters at Oscar time.
There are other films coming out later this year that have already been mentioned as Oscar contenders. I’m sure at least some of them will turn out to be be very good. One of them might even be the eventual Best Picture winner. It’s just from what I can see so far there are few that will be able to combine the winning elements The Help already has in it’s back pocket.
When I told Green I thought he had a serious Oscar contender on his hands he actually blushed. “Don’t jinx it for us,” he responded.
I don’t think I can. The Help has too much going for it. That’s why I told Green he should save himself some money and go out and buy a tux. Renting could get very expensive for the cast and crew of The Help come Awards season. You can get more on the film right here and watch the trailer directly below.
