Lee Daniels’ The Butler parents guide

Lee Daniels’ The Butler Parent Guide

While this butler's impassive stance serves him well at the White House, his lack of passion makes him difficult to connect with personally - even if he has an insider perspective on American history.

Overall B+

If you were a fly on the wall in the White House, what interesting things might you see? As a butler at the esteemed residence, Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker) witnesses plenty during his years of service from 1952 until 1986. Inspired by a true story, this movie presents a unique historical perspective.

Release date August 16, 2013

Violence C-
Sexual Content C+
Profanity D+
Substance Use C-

Why is Lee Daniels’ The Butler rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Lee Daniels’ The Butler PG-13 for some violence and disturbing images, language, sexual material, thematic elements and smoking.

Run Time: 132 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

Director Lee Daniels brings together an impressive cast for his movie The Butler. Marching through the Oval Office as America’s Top Executive are Robin Williams, Liev Schreiber, James Marsden, John Cusack, and Alan Rickman. Jane Fonda, Wanda Leigh and Minka Kelly play different First Ladies.

But the high-powered political leaders aren’t the subjects of this film. Rather it is the carefully-dressed figure standing unnoticed in the shadows until he is called on to serve. For Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker), the position of butler is a long way from his early roots. Born on a cotton plantation in the Deep South, he watched his mother (Mariah Carey) raped and his father (David Banner) brutally murdered before he was taken inside the big house by the one of the white women (Vanessa Redgrave) and trained to be a houseboy.

Leaving the farm as a young adult he does domestic work in several establishments before being offered a position at the White House. There, in white gloves and a bow tie, he witnesses the making of history on an intimate level as one U.S. president after another serves during the turbulent years of the Civil Rights movement.

At home Cecil faces rough waters of another kind. His wife Gloria (Oprah Winfrey) turns to the bottle to keep herself company while he is away at work. Angry and inebriated, she and Cecil find themselves growing apart. Meanwhile their oldest son Lewis (David Oyelowo) joins an underground group fighting for equality and repeatedly finds himself in jail. The father and son’s differing opinions on racial injustice tear a rift in their relationship.

The film’s brief, graphic violence includes a shooting, two men hanging by their necks in the street and riots spawned by race and war. Frequent profanities (many from the country’s top leaders), alcohol use and an off screen rape also add to this script’s content issues for family viewers.

However considering the incredible cast, sets and editing in this movie, Lee Daniels’ The Butler should elicit more emotion than it does. Cramming a miniseries worth of story into a two-hour time frame may contribute to the film’s hurried pace and superficial exploration of some of American history’s most troubled times.

But Cecil’s character could be the film’s biggest problem. Although Whitaker does an amazing job playing the stoic servant, Cecil is a man trained to have no opinion, to not speak unless spoken to and to spend his time anticipating the needs of white folk, many of whom neglect to see their own part in racial discrimination. While his impassive stance serves him well in his role at the White House, his lack of passion makes him difficult to connect with personally—even if he has had an insider perspective on American history makers.

Directed by Lee Daniels . Starring John Cusack, Forest Whitaker, Lenny Kravitz, Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo. Running time: 132 minutes. Theatrical release August 16, 2013. Updated

Lee Daniels’ The Butler
Rating & Content Info

Why is Lee Daniels’ The Butler rated PG-13? Lee Daniels’ The Butler is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for some violence and disturbing images, language, sexual material, thematic elements and smoking.

Violence: A woman is raped (off screen) and a man is shot in the head in front of his young child. Two dead men are seen hanging by the neck in the street. A character breaks into a bakery and steals food. Some bloody injuries are seen. Characters are shot, slapped, kicked, spit on and punched numerous times. Characters are injured and property is damaged when riots break out. Historical news footage of riots, war and protests are shown. A woman’s dress is covered in blood following the shooting of her husband. A white supremacy group surrounds and destroys a bus filled with protestors. Characters are beaten and jailed for civil disobedience. A married couple argues.

Sexual Content: Sounds of a rape are heard. A married man makes sexual passes at other women. A poster of a naked woman is seen. Crude sexual comments and innuendo are included. Couples kiss and embrace.

Language: The script contains frequent profanities, some sexual dialogue, scatological slang, terms of Deity and one strong sexual expletive.

Alcohol / Drug Use: Characters smoke and drink throughout this film. One character is portrayed as inebriated on more than one occasion. Characters turn to alcohol to deal with their emotions.

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Lee Daniels’ The Butler Parents' Guide

This movie is actually based on the experiences of Eugene Allen. Learn more about his life.

Although Cecil’s son despises the work his father does, how does this quiet butler influence the white people he works for? Are rebellions and riots the only ways to influence social changes?

What racial challenges did the South continue to experience even after the end of the Civil War? Why is it so difficult to change ideology and long-held beliefs? What racial, economic and social problems are still around today?

After working for famous people, some employees resort to tell-all books detailing the weakness and personal lives of their former employers. Is Lee Daniels’ The Butler a negative exposé on the White House or does it give viewers a more personal look at the daily lives of the people who reside there? Is this movie too sanitized?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Lee Daniels’ The Butler movie is January 14, 2014. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: Lee Daniels’ The Butler

Release Date: 14 January 2014

Lee Daniels’ The Butler releases to home video (Blu-ray) with the following extras:

- Lee Daniels’ The Butler: An American Story

- The Original Freedom Riders

- “You And I Ain’t Nothin’ No More” Performed by Gladys Knight and Lenny Kravitz

- Deleted Scenes

- Gag Reel

Related home video titles:

Another butler is privy to a wealth of information in The Remains Of The Day. A man of service witnesses the racial revolution in Driving Miss Daisy. The black and white divide is also explored in Something the Lord Made.

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