Movie poster courtesy of Dreamworks and Touchstone Pictures

By Britany Murphy

The Help is a drama based on the novel of the same name by author Kathryn Stockett which is set in Jackson, Mississippi during the American Civil Rights fight of the 1960’s.

Aspiring journalist, Eugenia ‘Skeeter’ Phelan (Emma Stone), wants to write a book from the point of view of the help as segregation and heated clashes between the two races of Jackson, Mississippi escalate to more and more violence, including the murder of Civil Rights activist, Medgar Evers who made his home in Jackson.

Critics and movie-goers alike praised The Help and with only a budget of roughly $25 million, it was a box office hit, raking in an estimated $206.7 million worldwide.

Although it was nominated for four Academy awards including the coveted Best Picture, Best Actress for Viola Davis who portrayed the main character, Abileen, and two Best Supporting Actress nods for Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer who won the Oscar at the 2012 ceremony for her portrayal of Minny Jackson, it was (in my opinion) one of the most underrated films of the year.

There is nothing to dislike about The Help. The subject matter of The Help is enough to make you get angry, make you cry, and even make you laugh at times with a wonderful cast of characters that feed of the energy of one another.

The most integral part of this film is that it demonstrates what the bravery of a select few can change the minds of other people, change the minds of a town, and change the minds of a nation as a whole. With that said, The Help is a must-see film and one of the best films that 2011 had to offer.