¶ … Los Angeles Times Review by Sharkey, Betsy:

The Help is a successful film because it uses humor to take the edge off the pain of racism.

The cast contributes to the success of The Help.

The theme of "courage and conviction" is what adds emotional depth to The Help.

The film is realistic, depicting mundane life events showing how racism impacted the everyday lives of Americans.

LitLovers Author Bio of Kathryn Stockett

Great novels and films like The Help are based on transforming personal experience into creative writing.

Stockett grew up in Mississippi, and everyone she knew had black housekeepers like the ones we meet in The Help.

Stockett conducted research in the library, because she set her book in the 1960s and not in her own generation.

The relationships between white householders and black domestic servants can sometimes be emotionally intimate.

Washington Post Review by Hornaday, Ann. "Black, white, and not enough 'Help.'"

THESIS: The Help is an earnest story but because it is told from a white perspective, it is also one that avoids addressing some of the deeper issues associated with the experience racism.

1. The friendship that develops between Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter unfolds delightfully in the movie.

2. The story of The Help is more about white privilege than it is about the experience of racism.

3. In spite of its weaknesses, The Help offers emotional catharsis and a message of hope.

Push Play movie Review of The Help.

THESIS: the Help does not go far enough in exposing the theme of racism and how racism permeated American society during the 1960s.

1. In spite of the textural and thematic flaws, The Help has excellent acting and casting.

2. The performances appeal to the viewer's emotions because of the friendships that develop between the main characters.

3. The Help is geared toward an older audience that prefers not to be challenged about the core issue of racism.