Movie Review: The Help

I finally got around to watching this movie on my recent Perth-Canberra flight. If you haven't seen it, I'd highly recommend it.

It's quite a light, heart warming movie which ends with an overall positive message. The storyline does center around some potentially upsetting and heavy themes (the black/white divide and the treatment of the "negros" in 1960s Mississippi), but it is beautifully executed in a way that focuses on the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

I felt inspired and uplifted at the end of it, yet it also evoked some tears - which is how I like to feel after a movie!

I loved all of the characters - even those that had less than desirable traits were sufficiently accessible so that I could associate with them, or associate them with someone in my life.

Another reason that this is my ideal kind of movie is that it showcases gorgeous 1960s fashion at its most feminine, and more importantly, feminine 1950s Southern American interior design.

There are retro kitchens complete with cabinets painted in pretty pastels (and visible retro crockery), checked lino floors, dainty wallpaper and lino tables:

Some of my favourite living areas include chandeliars, dark wooden orante Italian style furniture, patterned feature armchairs and occassional chairs (including button back and semi egg-shaped) and multi-picture walls:

I am not a fan of all 60s decor. I like the embroidered cushions and non matching sofa and armchairs in this den, but timber wall paneling and faux brick tiling goes a little far for my liking:

And finally, I cannot call myself a 1960s aficionado in the purest sense because I detest all-pink bathrooms and super gaudy wallpaper:

Nonetheless, I'd employ the set designers as my interior decorators any day!

If you want an uplifting movie with an overwhelmingly positive message, or if you want to swoon over 1960s fashion and decor, you should definitely see The Help. If you love all three elements, you'll be in heaven (I was!).

All set pictures were sourced from She Knows.