Part of the whirlwind that is the BlogHer Conference involved a very special screening of DreamWorks Pictures' The Help, which comes out TODAY, Wednesday, August 10th.
Get thee to a theater, stat!
Let me disclose something: I didn't finish the book before I saw the movie. I'm one of those people who traditionally shies away from the "popular" book, especially if marketed to women. So, I was a bit hesitant to pick up the book in the first place. I'm a visual person, so trying to keep the multitude of characters straight was a challenge. And for some reason, I just didn't get hooked in like those who raved about it.
So, I plodded through part of the book before switching to some different books that caught my eye.
When I was invited to go to The Help advanced screening, one might assume I'd be neutral on the whole thing, but I actually jumped at the chance. I figured that my visual preference might really be helped by a movie adaption, which would mean I'd be able to go back and enjoy the book.
Also, I figured as a "reluctant" reader of the tale, I might be a good test audience for the movie. Could it win me over?
In a word, "yes."
This film was really fabulous. I'm not a big historical fiction type person (or even just "historical," period.) I'm not a chick-flick chick-lit type person. But this was neither too serious nor too fluffy. The Help is an enjoyable film that can certainly be thought-provoking, but I appreciated it based on its entertainment value alone.
Even if the story happened in the past, there was plenty of drama that I can relate to in the current era. Sadly, I can also relate to some of the racial relations as well. We really haven't come as far in that arena as we think we have. After we saw the movie, several of us swapped stories about how The Help reminds us of things we've witnessed.
I'm glad I had the opportunity to see the film, and encourage folks to go out and enjoy it. (And yes, I'm reading the book from the beginning again, and this time I'm sure I'll make it through!)
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Disclaimer: I received no monetary compensation for posting about this movie; however, I was treated to some popcorn and soda during the movie itself. I received a gift bag (including caramel cake black tea from Republic of Tea) and some post-movie treats (thankfully no chocolate pie) and drinks as part of the special screening.
