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The Butler
The Butler
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The Butler

The Butler

2013
Drama
Biography
2h 12m
An African-American's eyewitness accounts of notable events of the 20th century during his tenure as a White House butler. (imdb)

Directed by:

Lee Daniels Lee Daniels

Written by:

Danny Strong Wil Haygood
+1 more

Starring:

John Cusack John Cusack Cuba Gooding Jr. Cuba Gooding Jr. Oprah Winfrey Oprah Winfrey Robin Williams Robin Williams Alan Rickman Alan Rickman Forest Whitaker Forest Whitaker Vanessa Redgrave Vanessa Redgrave James Marsden James Marsden Liev Schreiber Liev Schreiber Terrence Howard Terrence Howard David Oyelowo David Oyelowo Minka Kelly Minka Kelly
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Genres:

Drama, Biography

AKA:

Lee Daniels' The Butler

Country:

USA

Language:

English
imdb More information at IMDb
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The Butler

2013
Drama
Biography
2h 12m
Your probable score
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 44.18% from 949 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

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fredericg54frederic_g54
Rated 16 Sep 2013
5
20th
I probably would've liked this film, if I played bridge and was born in 1947.
Rated 16 Sep 2013
ytadelYtadel
Rated 21 Aug 2013
4
44th
It's well-constructed and occasionally moving, though I caution that it's really difficult not to see the Wayne's World-style "OSCAR CLIP" flashing at the bottom of the screen for the movie's entire 132-minute runtime. This is HARDCORE Oscar bait. I voted for Obama twice, but the ending of this film was so mawkish I cringed. The various celebrities as the presidents also distract, though Whitaker and Oyelowo do fine work. (And Yaya DaCosta is ludicrously gorgeous.)
Rated 21 Aug 2013
billyshearsBillyShears
Rated 02 Sep 2013
65
42nd
I guess no one could do a good impression of Gerald Ford or Jimmy Carter. The last 20 minutes of this are embarrassing and I felt myself sliding further down my seat. WOULD'VE killed though if Obama was played by Dave Chappelle. Such an Oscar bait movie they even have a dinner scene where they dish about Sidney Poitier winning an Oscar and Forest Whitaker winks into the camera.
Rated 02 Sep 2013
judge_holdenJudge Holden
Rated 03 Sep 2013
3
32nd
A technically well-made biopic that's unfortunately served with the usual cookie-cutter understanding and presentation of the civil rights movement, as seen in a gazillion other Oscar-bait features. Someone mentioned Forrest Gump, and that's a pretty apt comparison. It also almost descends into self-parody on a few occasions, especially with some of the actors portraying presidents (Robin Williams? wtf?) and that atrocious and unnecessary denouement. Some good performances, though.
Rated 03 Sep 2013
marnieMarnie
Rated 12 Jun 2014
63
19th
I.....wiiiiillllllll.....veeeetoooo.....iiiiitttt:)
Rated 12 Jun 2014
burkayadaligburkayadalig
Rated 22 Dec 2013
60
19th
It could be great if it was shot as a series... The whole movie feelslike "Previously on The Butler"
Rated 22 Dec 2013
xacviantxacviant
Rated 21 Aug 2013
69
24th
A staple-to-be of high school history classes. The cameo parade of historical figures and familiar faces (Liev Schrieber's LBJ aside) distracts from the more interesting family drama at its core; Forest Whitaker as the butler and David Oyelowo as his activist son give subtle, moving performances. (Oprah, as the wife/mother, is decent but has little to do.) The script is too pat too often and Lee Daniels' direction is uneven, but on its own schmaltzy terms it's decent. Nice score by Rodrigo Leão.
Rated 21 Aug 2013
supergloosupergloo
Rated 22 Dec 2013
5
18th
A great movie--if you've never seen a movie before.
Rated 22 Dec 2013
filliganFilligan
Rated 27 Oct 2013
63
13th
Lee Daniels wants to make a masterpiece so bad it's almost like his desperation infuses his latest film with an artificialness. The closest The Butler comes to any form of entertainment is the cameos as each president. Don't paint me as shallow, I've just seen this movie a hundred times before. At a certain point it feels like beating a dead horse and I feel absolutely nothing, which I shouldn't for a film dealing with civil rights. That's what's most egregious about The Butler: it's uninspired.
Rated 27 Oct 2013
dougiedDougieD
Rated 18 Aug 2013
60
23rd
A standard biopic that is well directed and acted, but is held back by a pedestrian script that tries to cram in every major event in the civil rights movement. At times it feels oddly similar to Forrest Gump. The lead performance from Forest Whitaker is the best thing here. Oprah is also good, but not "oscar" worthy as some critics are claiming. The many stars playing past presidents are hit and miss. Liev Schriber and Alan Rickman are great, but Robin Williams and John Cusack are distractions.
Rated 18 Aug 2013
chadisdangerchadisdanger
Rated 22 Dec 2013
59
8th
Mostly competent (Whitaker and Winfrey are good at the very least), and its heart is certainly in the right place, but it's exactly as overwrought, cliched and narratively silly as I expected. I'll never get the Gump/Button approach to history, which is satisfied with glancing long enough at important people/events to provoke a cheap sense of familiarity (hey everyone, it's JFK!) without delving deep enough into any of it. Lee Daniels again demonstrates his bulldozer-like brand of subtlety.
Rated 22 Dec 2013
mandymandy
Rated 03 Dec 2013
5
18th
Over ambitious and ponderous. There seemed to be loads of interesting ideas and stories which were waiting to be explored but most things were just brushed over.
Rated 03 Dec 2013
glumpy99glumpy_99
Rated 18 Jan 2014
72
42nd
Well intentioned historical drama has its heart in the right place, but has to contend with an overstated, melodramatic screenplay, and distractingly strange casting decisions which almost bring to mind THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD (Cusack as Nixon and Rickman as Reagan the most egregious, but none of the Presidents really convince). Whitaker is fine, though limited by the bland Dickensian nature of his role; Winfrey is superb, and again proves herself a creditable dramatic actress.
Rated 18 Jan 2014
damildamil
Rated 15 Feb 2014
60
43rd
It wasn't terrible, but it was just so damn sanitary and dry. It felt like a historical event checklist more than anything. Probably the most enjoyable aspect for me was seeing which famous person played which president next. I didn't have a problem with the performances, but the direction felt a bit amateurish at points, and the pacing wasn't great. The screenplay also seemed cheesy and unrealistic. Anyway, it's fine for a basic history lesson, but I didn't think it had much else to give.
Rated 15 Feb 2014
thegreyfoxthegreyfox
Rated 24 Mar 2014
80
74th
For me, this worked better than "12yrs". Everyone knows slavery is bad, but "The Butler" showed just how appalling living with apartheid is on a day to day basis. The passage of time was superbly captured and although Whittackers portrayal was emotionless, THAT was the point. The film was able to show the tragic dichotomy of "outright rebellion" or "showing we are every bit as human" as routes of change. The gradual dawning that the former is sometimes the only way was brilliantly realised. Good
Rated 24 Mar 2014
sheldrakeSheldrake
Rated 27 Jan 2014
80
86th
Big goofy heartfelt look back at the Civil Rights movement. Whitaker is nothing to write home about, but Daniels is masterful at creating engaging dichotomies and sumptuous period details. I really liked how Louis' story grew and changed, a revolutionary who wasn't holy and blameless, but still determined and good hearted.
Rated 27 Jan 2014
gkfilmgkfilm
Rated 04 Jun 2014
65
65th
Entertainment: 3.5. Spirituality: 1.5/3. Sustainability: 1.5/3.
Rated 04 Jun 2014
fromenbergFromenberg
Rated 14 Jan 2014
78
24th
I was expecting a little more but good for what it was
Rated 14 Jan 2014
wayofthegunwayofthegun
Rated 12 Sep 2014
60
20th
Has some fine performances, but content-wise is not much more than a propaganda film for racial equality. I guess I should have expected this from an Oprah-backed movie, but I would have liked something a little more creative.
Rated 12 Sep 2014
speedmarqueSpeedMarque
Rated 20 Jul 2020
30
14th
Found it mostly boring with little to none character development. Seemed more like a, short/long depending on how you see it, recap of the civil rights movement.
Rated 20 Jul 2020
superargoSuperargo
Rated 24 Jan 2014
53
34th
"Noble."
Rated 24 Jan 2014
obdurateObdurate
Rated 01 Jan 2014
70
41st
I didn't expect to like this at all and only watched it because it was put on and I happened to be there. While it's not exactly subtle, it was a surprisingly moving tale through a large period of time. Not overly memorable but it made me feel something. Better than expected.
Rated 01 Jan 2014
graveyardtangraveyardtan
Rated 21 Aug 2013
65
26th
Critics are calling The Butler "Very Good, Sir!"
Rated 21 Aug 2013
muutanetmuutanet
Rated 26 Dec 2013
71
66th
A fine part - again - from Forest Whitaker. It was also funny to guess who's next American president. :7 The story was mainly okay, though it felt like three hour movie.
Rated 26 Dec 2013
montycircusMontyCircus
Rated 19 Aug 2013
80
90th
Civil Rights meets Forrest Gump. Had me on the verge of tears a few times, and that doesn't happen often for me. Also a very funny movie, mixing it with seriousness. Very entertaining!
Rated 19 Aug 2013
derekstarDerekstar
Rated 22 Dec 2013
70
50th
Those were some crazy Presidential cameos. Cusack as Nixon? What? It's a hilarious bit of casting, but I don't think they were trying to be funny. Black Dynamite had a better Nixon. Anyways, this movie is Oscar-bait through and through. These guys want it, bad.
Rated 22 Dec 2013
jschlanskyJSchlansky
Rated 10 Jan 2017
50
27th
Feels like a TV-movie that they force you to watch in history class. When I first heard of this film without any idea of what it was about or who made it, I assumed Lee Daniels was the eponymous Butler or at least the guy who wrote the book about the Butler not the arrogant cock of a director who felt the need to inject his own name into the title of someone else's story.
Rated 10 Jan 2017
daphnlDaph_NL
Rated 08 Dec 2014
63
76th
Alright, I thought it was laying it on too thick in the end with Obama being the last focal point of The Butler, but the rest was convincing enough throughout the entire movie. Ofcourse it does show the struggles America (still) has when it comes down to equality and I do believe that story is one that needs to be told. 63/100.
Rated 08 Dec 2014
moribunnyMoribunny
Rated 24 Sep 2015
10
5th
Terrible.
Rated 24 Sep 2015
lenaclena_c
Rated 18 Nov 2015
4
72nd
*Good to the verge of *Very Good, so I might change my mind and give it five...
Rated 18 Nov 2015
patmanpatman
Rated 26 Dec 2015
64
56th
An important film done with great honor and respect but slightly cliched and overstated to be as emotionally driven as it wants to be. A well made movie with an all-star cast where Whitaker shines the brightest.
Rated 26 Dec 2015
thorn969thorn969
Rated 17 Jan 2016
25
21st
This seemed to treat our history a bit cavalierly and was almost purely fictional while pretending to truth. There were some powerful moments and potential to the story, but generally it wasn't very powerful for me.
Rated 17 Jan 2016
xakkmasterXakkMaster
Rated 26 Aug 2016
77
53rd
This is close to being great, but a few of the casting choices are overly distracting and the last 1/3 seems rushed. This story would have been better served presented as a TV mini-series. Essentially skipping over the 70s was jarring and leaves many more questions unanswered. Whitaker and Oyelowo are both fantastic though.
Rated 26 Aug 2016
keyutkanKeyUtkan
Rated 06 Oct 2016
75
79th
The Movie is good, acting, directing, screenplay are just fine. But the movie turn to be a Obama-lickin' opportunity. But the result of the civil rights case is not Obama.. We're not there yet. So ending is so poor. Of course we see the film from the Cecil's eyes and his judgements but still poor. Forest Whitaker was awesome by the way.
Rated 06 Oct 2016
amazedemonamazedemon
Rated 11 Oct 2016
63
39th
Good acting alone does not a good film make. My main problem with The Butler is the split focus in narrative spanning over the decades. The film tries to be both a personal character story about a White House butler and a summary of the American civil rights movement. Unfortunately the politics isn't dealt with the intelligence and subtlety necessary to warrant watching, and personally I didn't find the character story to be that interesting or moving either. Not bad, but not great, just blah!
Rated 11 Oct 2016
magdabagmagdabag
Rated 09 Aug 2014
83
51st
I really liked this movie. I really don't like historical movies, but this was really good. I thought Forest Whitaker was awesome. I usually don 't like Oprah Winfrey, but she was pretty good in this too. I think this wood be a movie my parents or grand parents would watch, not a 12 year old girl. It had it's laughs and it also had it's Dramatic moments.The only problem i have with this movie is that it feel really long. I think "The Titanic" was shorter.
Rated 09 Aug 2014
badfurdayBadFurDay
Rated 11 May 2017
5
40th
Poor directing, writing, acting, and extreme amount of pathos kill this movie. The story of the butler and his two sons is a really good one, tear jerking and all, and properly told it could have been so much better. But this movie was simply too long and not polished enough. Great story, bad movie.
Rated 11 May 2017
luordluord
Rated 09 Aug 2017
66
59th
A great performance by Whitaker and a strong supporting cast (goofy presidents aside, although some of them are good), make for an interesting facts-based story, although not one that breaks new ground.
Rated 09 Aug 2017
ikkegoemikkeikkegoemikke
Rated 28 Nov 2017
87
98th
Superb and fascinating More reviews here : http://movie-freak.be
Rated 28 Nov 2017
kadikoykadikoy
Rated 24 Apr 2020
70
75th
Amerika'da uşak olmak. Siyahi insanların 1 öz geçmişiyle başlayan film, Beyaz Saray'da uşak olmaya giden 1 siyahinin hayat hikayesi. Klişe ilerleyen senaryo, gerçek olaylar ve kahramanlarıyla kısa 1 özet geçilmiş. Amerika tarihinin gerçekleri 1 aile üzerinden başarılı anlatılmış. Forest Whitaker ve David Oyelowo başarılı. Filmin sonunda, Obama ile görüşüyor. Cennet de cehennem de aynı dünyada.
Rated 24 Apr 2020
mrarnmrarn
Rated 14 Feb 2021
55
70th
The Civil Rights movement as seen through the lens of a butler at the White House. I think a little less of the national and a little more of the family would have made this a better movie. Still, it's better than average and worth seeing.
Rated 14 Feb 2021
oaicoaic
Rated 26 Jun 2021
80
56th
It's weird that Oprah's good in movies.
Rated 26 Jun 2021
realmacgyverRealMacgyver
Rated 27 Dec 2013
60
30th
When they got to the 70's they finally did what they seemed to want to do for the whole movie and just went straight to clips. Very half assed. Just go watch The Help instead. And the holocaust/cotton plantation comparison?! Both were terrible yes but I can't see that going down too well....anywhere really.
Rated 27 Dec 2013
timon88Timon88
Rated 28 Jun 2014
56
51st
Overall, a well-made movie--despite spouting some overly simplistic views of American history--until the end, at least, when it drowns in its own syrupy sentimentality (you can safely switch it off when Oprah dies). The cameos tend to be better than the leads (although Oprah really CAN act, and Cuba Gooding, Jr. is enormously likable). Whoever thought of casting Jane Fonda as Nancy Reagan is a fucking genius.
Rated 28 Jun 2014
cowfrappecowfrappe
Rated 25 Aug 2013
71
61st
Strong performances by Winfrey, Whitaker, and Oyelowo as well as excellent direction lift what might otherwise have been a plodding script to an inspirational film, although most of the other casting seems too gimmicky to be taken seriously.
Rated 25 Aug 2013
slrsoapboxSlrSoapbox
Rated 11 Sep 2013
80
75th
I really enjoy ensemble casts and biographies that move throughout history. As far as Forrest Whitaker goes, he was...okay. I found his on-screen son to be a more emotive actor and I wanted to know more about his story. The casting was hit-and-miss. Jason Marsden as JFK, Liev Schreiber as Johnson and Alan Rickman as Reagan were inspired, John Cusack as Nixon...not so much. Also, the ending was kind of cringeworthy and overly optimistic.
Rated 11 Sep 2013
ar656ar656
Rated 25 Apr 2014
83
72nd
I went to see it with low expectations. It was a lot better than I expected.
Rated 25 Apr 2014
ofterdingenOfterdingen
Rated 16 Sep 2013
38
17th
If The Help was about a butler...
Rated 16 Sep 2013
cinemaasiaCinema_Asia
Rated 23 Feb 2014
65
42nd
There is enjoyable and interesting chemistry between Oprah and Whitaker which was unexpected. Both give pretty strong performances. Despite all this the film itself is weakened by all the father/son, civil rights, romance etc.. cliches and audience pandering. It's clumsy and emotionally simple with race issues without any of the emotional complexity of a film like Mississipi Burning. It's not a wasted effort but a near miss for a story that could be great with a better writer and director.
Rated 23 Feb 2014
esmerodoEsmerodo
Rated 19 Sep 2013
77
65th
As the (also overrated) Forrest Gump "I lived through every single important event of the 60's" for the humble everyday black man, an ordinary man in a truly unique "downstairs" serving job, it is not bad. I'd have marked it higher if its Presidents' history didn't go straight from Nixon to Reagan & Reagan to Obama. Gee, weren't there a couple of Democrat guys called Carter & Clinton in between? Was the screenwriter a Republican? Gotta wonder. But decent acting from cast & actor cameos.
Rated 19 Sep 2013
fra_paolofra paolo
Rated 13 Feb 2014
15
6th
The proverbial quart jammed into a pint pot, the film tries to do too much, leaving too little time for various melodramatic elements to play themselves out. It would have worked better as a three-part television miniseries. The best thing about it is that there is no real taint of playing to 'white guilt' here. This is very strongly an African-American perspective and on that alone the story deserved more space than it got here. Not a flawed masterpiece, but a masterly flawpiece.
Rated 13 Feb 2014
hajikarimihajikarimi
Rated 27 Jan 2014
93
82nd
1196: it seems like a live history on anti racial movement!
Rated 27 Jan 2014
wicheWiche
Rated 20 Sep 2013
82
84th
Give that man an oscar! Instead of seeing a dull story (I expected it to be) I saw a touching, moving story of a person trying to do his utmost for his family in a racially difficult time. A beautiful overview of some dark pages in the American and, by extension, world history, but this is where the problem of this film lies too. However most of what we see is true, the film is too black and white (sorry for the word-play). The black are the downtrodden, the white the barbarians.
Rated 20 Sep 2013
stewballStewball
Rated 18 Aug 2013
10
1st
Springs the ambush about three quarters in when Jane Fonda shows up as Nancy Reagan. It was all so well disguised till that point, I thought at first maybe she's finally mellowed. But the over-the-top propaganda started building to a crescendo at that point--including Alan Rickman portraying Reagan as a slow-speaking, dim-witted, racist simpleton. As bad as the Obama ass kissing was, the most unforgivable part was portraying Johnson as a joke instead of the worst President in our history.
Rated 18 Aug 2013
wezzoWezzo
Rated 28 Nov 2013
78
44th
Manipulative and Oscar-bait-y for sure, but there's still a lot of stuff here that works. Forest Whittaker's lead performance is excellent, offering convincing nuance and complexity; the narrative throughline, while occasionally cloying, is always compelling, and the film never drags. The juxtaposition of the Butler's home life and work life is well-played; I'm not ashamed to say I got throughly invested in both sides of his life. But I love Forrest Gump, so, what do I know?
Rated 28 Nov 2013
td888td888
Rated 11 Jan 2014
70
76th
Probably because of Forest Whitaker I rate this higher than I should, but why not. I got more pleasure watching this than the other one (12 years a slave).
Rated 11 Jan 2014
thedicemanTheDiceman
Rated 05 Jan 2014
55
49th
Not bad.
Rated 05 Jan 2014
bojanglesBojangles
Rated 28 Dec 2013
65
69th
Black Forrest Gump. In a good way. The movie is so technically sound that it disguises the fact that there's nothing ambitious going on content-wise. It's a standard family drama surrounded by a superficial history lesson presented through a classical visual style and actual achievements in acting/makeup. An "Oscar bait" movie in that its successes align conveniently well with award show categories. Hell, it probably should win some awards. But that doesn't make it a great movie. Nor a bad one.
Rated 28 Dec 2013

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