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Gut-wrenching and emotionally affecting, Lee Daniels' The Butler overcomes an uneven narrative thanks to strong performances from an all-star cast.
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All Critics (194) | Top Critics (53) | Fresh (139) | Rotten (55)
It's not an interpretation of actual history as much as it is a reduced revision of movie history. Jan 3, 2014 | Full Review…
It's not an interpretation of actual history as much as it is a reduced revision of movie history.
Wesley Morris
Think of it as a Trojan horse. Apparently harmless, it takes key myths about the land of the free and inflicts an impressive amount of damage. Nov 15, 2013 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…
Think of it as a Trojan horse. Apparently harmless, it takes key myths about the land of the free and inflicts an impressive amount of damage.
Charlotte O'Sullivan
If only history were like this: epochs of simple-minded epic struggle, followed by happy-ever-after closures. Nov 14, 2013 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…
If only history were like this: epochs of simple-minded epic struggle, followed by happy-ever-after closures.
Nigel Andrews
Lee Daniels comes good with this rich and politically subversive tale of a long-serving White House butler. Nov 14, 2013 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…
Lee Daniels comes good with this rich and politically subversive tale of a long-serving White House butler.
Ashley Clark
History is written by the victors, they say; this movie looks as if the history of American race politics as written by Julian Fellowes. Nov 14, 2013 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…
History is written by the victors, they say; this movie looks as if the history of American race politics as written by Julian Fellowes.
Peter Bradshaw
Feels so dehydrogenated and polyunsaturated that an apter title might have been Lee Daniels' I Can't Believe It's Not Butler. Nov 14, 2013 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…
Feels so dehydrogenated and polyunsaturated that an apter title might have been Lee Daniels' I Can't Believe It's Not Butler.
Robbie Collin
A formidably cast epic that eclipses over seventy years of a man's life in a landsape of evolving racism, Daniels lets his material speak for itself, while history calls the shots. Aug 22, 2019 | Full Review…
A formidably cast epic that eclipses over seventy years of a man's life in a landsape of evolving racism, Daniels lets his material speak for itself, while history calls the shots.
Nicholas Bell
Though The Butler's tidy sentiments can be cloying, it's hard to remain unmoved-and unimpressed by the stubbornly authentic performances by Whitaker and Oprah, which will likely be remembered at Oscar time. Aug 6, 2019 | Full Review…
Though The Butler's tidy sentiments can be cloying, it's hard to remain unmoved-and unimpressed by the stubbornly authentic performances by Whitaker and Oprah, which will likely be remembered at Oscar time.
Brian D. Johnson
There are missed opportunities and weak moments in the script to be sure, but not enough to discount it, and the stellar acting by Forest Whitaker is what will make this movie memorable longterm. Jul 30, 2019 | Full Review…
There are missed opportunities and weak moments in the script to be sure, but not enough to discount it, and the stellar acting by Forest Whitaker is what will make this movie memorable longterm.
Leslie Combemale
It's an odd, uneven film, but there is a lot to like here. Jun 8, 2019 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…
It's an odd, uneven film, but there is a lot to like here.
Matthew Lucas
It's a shame that the excellent central storyline gets so obstructed and mucked up by all the noise, spectacle, and pageantry. Apr 15, 2019 | Rating: 6.6 | Full Review…
It's a shame that the excellent central storyline gets so obstructed and mucked up by all the noise, spectacle, and pageantry.
Bernard Boo
Well done, and definitely worth seeing, but it falls short of the next-level greatness that it tries to achieve. Apr 9, 2019 | Full Review…
Well done, and definitely worth seeing, but it falls short of the next-level greatness that it tries to achieve.
Micheal Compton
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