Good morning. I am coffee free this morning….. but on purpose. 😀 I am going to my first weigh in this morning with a friend and I am anal about eating or drinking anything before weigh in. No worries – my weigh in is at 8:30 am and I will stop for coffee on my way to work after.
Last night myself and a mix of book club gals and friends, went to the 7 pm showing of The Help. I was warned previously by Kathy at Bermuda Onion to bring Kleenex, which I forgot and did need. 😛
I felt the movie was a wonderful stem off the book. While not all scenes ran as the book did, it was a close comparison and changes were small and probably so the movie (which was 2 1/5 hours long) did not become a 3 to 4 hour movie! 😀
The characters were wonderful – Skeeter played by Emma Stone did a wonderful job and Aibileen by Viola Davis, was breathtakingly true to the character. Of course… if you know me…. my heart and my laugh was given time and again to Minny. Minny was outspoken, rough around the edges, and in her home life… abused.
The seven of us in the theater as well as the rest of the theater rolled with laughter when it came to the confrontation between Minny and Hilly. Hilly, by the way, cast by Bryce Dallas Howard also did wonderful! In fact there is no part taken that I would say did not feel true to the book.
I laughed and I cried, and I laughed and I cried again. I highly recommend if this movie comes close to you that you see it. AND – bring the Kleenex. 😉
Book Journey 
I knew you’d love this movie! I thought the changes were true to the book, so they didn’t bother me. I thought Minny almost stole the show. I found out last night that the woman who plays Hilly is Ron Howard’s daughter.
Oh wow – now that you say that about Hilly – she does look like Ron! 😀
A group of us are going tomorrow morning, first showing. I know I’m going to love it, judging by the trailers, previews, and “reviews” from others that I’ve received….
I wish my book had that cover on it, but mine was an ARC.
Glad you loved it!
Have fun Laurel! 😀 I am hitting it again next week with another group of gals 😉
I’m going today. Thanks for the hype!!!
OOH enjoy it Heidi! 😀
I plan to see it next week. I read the book so long ago that I wonder if I’ll know which scenes are omitted! I’m glad you liked it, Sheila!!
Its nothing big… just a couple changes on how things happened in the book to the movie. I am currently listening to the audio so it is fresh in my mind 😀
I still need to read the book. I’ve meant to for a while now but haven’t gotten around to it. A friend at work has it but I won’t be seeing her for a few weeks until school starts. I think I’ll hold off on the movie until I read it first. Glad to hear such good things about it!
It is so good Jill – you must read it! 😀
My book club is going to see this tonight. Can’t wait!!
Oh have fun!!! I wish the whole book club could have come!
Since I cry even over commercials, I always take kleenex to the movies! :–) I’m glad to know that about Ron Howard’s daughter – I’ll look for that!
Jill you will be ready then 😀
I am going with friends tomorrow. I haven’t read the book but it is so my kind of movie. We went together to see The Secret Life of Bees also, that is a must and I hear the book amazing and they are true to each other also.
Thanks for the kleenex reminder.
I had a few friends go that had not read the book either and they LOVED it!
By coincidence this is the second post about this movie i have seen today and I have now moved my copy of the book much higher up Mt TBR 🙂
Nice!!! Glad to help give it a push 😉
I was going to go by myself today, but last night I cracked a tooth and ended up in the dentist chair this morning instead. I will wait a couple of days now so i can enjoy popcorn!!!
Oh no!!!! Glad you are ok! Treat yourself tot he movie 🙂
I can’t wait to see this movie! I’ve just finished the book and I think the movie is going to be great. It opens up my side of the world in September so can’t wait.
Oh I am excited for you Rachel!!!!! HOW FUN! 😀
I’m always a bit wary of movie adaptations of books, and I wasn’t all that keen on seeing this one. But – all these rave reviews? Now I’m trying to see how I can rearrange my schedule so I can go see it next week!
It is really good Alita! 😀
So glad you thought it was good too!! It seems like they did all right by the book! Whew!
They did Jenners 🙂
I am hoping that some of my bookclub girls will want to go and see it when it comes out here. I think that is in the next couple of weeks or so.
I hope so too Marg – it is a great movie to see as a group 😀
How can anyone think that this movie was true to the book? I read The Help when it was released and again 2 nights before going to see it. They changed toooooo much! One of the heaviest hitting stories in the book was Skeeter and her maid Constantine. The movie changed Constantine’s daughter from white to black which completely destroyed the plot of a black woman who looks white trying to join the DAR…ergo getting her mama fired after 29 years In the character of Celia, Abilene (in the book) saved Celias life and that is why she is employed for life. Skeeter’s mother NEVER embraced her daughter Skeeter’s book or stood up to Hilly. Skeeter and Stuart’s characters were never developed. And to omit the part that Abilene got Skeeter’s old job of writing a newspaper column in a white world was unbelievable!!!! These are but a few of the “changes” from book to movie. There are too many to list here. I wish I hadn’t re-read the book before going. Maybe I would not have remembered all of the details. I realize you have to change the script to fit the time slot, but that was not my problem with the movie. It was almost comical to me that even the tiniest details were changed. Almost like playing a game of “what’s wrong in this picture.” For instance, if it was said that Abilene always had on a green dress, let’s make it yellow. If Mae Mobley urinated in a pink toilet, let’s make it blue. If Mae Mobley learned to tee-tee in Abilene’s outside bathroom, let’s change it to……that never happened. If Skeeter’s extremely tall and ungainly, let’s make her about average height. If Hilly is pudgy, make her sleek. I know this is petty, but why change so many things? The book touched me deeply and at times made me feel shame. If I had not read the book, I don’t believe I would have felt the tension, threats, and fear that were a part of everyday life for “the help” in the south.
All good points Pam. 🙂 I read the book in late 2009 and am currently listening to it on audio but am only as far as Skeeter and Stuart dating so I do not recall all the details (such as I did not recall that the book had a toilet color for the one May Mobley went in or the color of Abilee’s dress in the book.
I wish they would have stuck to the way May Mobley was actually potty trained in the movie as the book did that so well.
The book of course is better, but I felt the movie was very good too and I cried a lot through out both.
I’m so glad you liked this movie! I plan on seeing it with a girlfriend in a couple of weeks and I can’t wait 🙂
It was really good. I hope you enjoy it too 🙂
That trailer looks amazing – i better get reading fast!!!
Enjoy! 😀 One of my friends went to the movie and borrowed the book after. 😀 As Pam pointed out there, are some changes, from book to movie…. but I still enjoyed both very much.
I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE IT!!!!
Sue
Sue you will LOVE IT!