<p>I can’t wait!</p>
<p>Saw it with my two daughters last night. We all liked it. Great casting/acting.</p>
<p>Ignatius, I posted this on the new movie thread, but moving it over here, now that you have resurrected this. </p>
<p>I saw it with 24 year old daughter, 7:00pm show on rainy NJ evening. Mostly white women, multi-generational audience, who clapped at the end, and at another pivotal scene 
Did your audience clap, too ??</p>
<p>My post from other thread:
SPOILER ALERT</p>
<p>Saw “The Help”-with 24 year old daughter, who also read the book. The two scenes she mentioned which were left out- the daughter using Abileen’s toilet, and the scene, you mentioned in the other thread, Ignatius, when Celia, and Minny fought off the intruder.</p>
<p>I don’t think the movie lost anything from not having those scenes.
I don’t recall, Skeeter’s mother kicking Hilly off the property, and redeeming herself, as the movie portrayed.
Disappointed in the climatic scene when Skeeter’s mother threw Constantine and Rachel out of the house. My D described that as an awkward scene, something just didnt’ click in the movie.
But, overall, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, Sissy Spacek -tudos for fine performances!</p>
<p>i liked the movie more than i liked the book. </p>
<p>i did not recall skeeter’s mom throwing hilly off the property, but it was a nice twist for the mom/daughter relationship.</p>
<p>i did not like the portrayal of skeeter. i can’t put my finger on it, but the actress just didn’t seem right to me.</p>
<p>I saw this last night with three close girlfriends. Three of us had read the book, one had not.</p>
<p>We all noted the omission of the part where Celia and Minny fight off the intruder. I thought the story of Constantine really fell short and that was probably my biggest disappointment.</p>
<p>I thought it was exceptionally well cast.</p>
<p>I liked the book better than the movie, however I still think it was well done.</p>
<p>FYI for anyone who hasn’t read the book yet and is interested…Barnes and Noble is having a 50% off bestsellers sale TODAY ONLY - just picked up The Help for $8!</p>
<p>I overheard some women laughing about the “pie” part as I walked out last night. They had not read the book, so imagine their surprise !!!</p>
<p>The Constantine plot should have been a climatic / emotional moment in the movie, and it just didn’t work for me.
But, the moment when Abileen and Minny walk into the church, was a "pass the tissues moment! </p>
<p>Blueiguana, did your friend who had not read the book, like the movie more or less than those who had read it ? Curious how the movie would be viewed if you had not read the book. Very interesting that wbow liked the movie more. I can understand because the acting was outstanding .</p>
<p>@ SJCM - She did like the movie. I can’t judge if she liked it any more or less. As I watched there was so much of the story I mentally filled in that was not told in the movie. I wondered if I would have understood the movie as well if I hadn’t read the book, but then I tend to overcomplicate things. My girlfriend who didn’t read the book is really perceptive so I’m sure she didn’t have a hard time following along…I felt as thought I would have been lost, but again that’s because I knew everything that was missing.</p>
<p>I also was waiting to see if they included or skipped the moment when Abileen & Minny walk into the church and are presented with the signed books. If that had been missing (as well as Skeeter getting her copy) I would have been disappointed. So, I go back to the story of Constantine being my only major beef. It’s interesting that others feel the same.</p>
<p>We saw the movie last night. Amazing performances. I wish the scene with Mae Mobley and the, what was essentially an outhouse, had been included. (Incidentally, for the women who are so germ phobic…anyone one notice that Abilene’s bathroom didn’t include a sink?) That said more about the mother’s character, or lack thereof.</p>
<p>My husband and I went this weekend with another couple and females ages 21 and 23. I was the only one in the group that had read the book, but everyone really liked the movie a lot. </p>
<p>During the pie eating scene I was already giggling and my husband gave me a look, like what is so funny? I agree the Constantine story line could have had more substance, but I still enjoyed the book.</p>
<p>I just saw the movie and liked it very much! I was glad the scene with Celia and the intruder was omitted; it felt out of place in the book. I thought the brief shot of Celia coolly swinging a chicken up onto a stump for slaughter was a sufficient and effective way of showing her tough, “white trash” persona. </p>
<p>I thought all the leads were excellent. I saw it with my niece, who hadn’t read the book, and she felt it worked well as a stand-alone movie.</p>
<p>Ignatius: I’ll pass along the nod to the casting directors. My friend’s daughter was one of them.</p>
<p>Mary13, could you tell me if the scene when Skeeter’s mother kicked Hilly off the property was included in the book? I’d be surprised if the screenwriter/ director wrote that scene for the movie, but I just don’t remember it in the book.</p>
<p>I agree with you,Mary13, the chicken slaughter was sufficient to show Celia’s strength. The intruder scene in the book helped us know that Celia was not a “little ole’ delicate thing”, and could take charge. She is a survivor.</p>
<p>SJCM: I looked up that scene ^^^ when I came home from the movie last weekend. Hilly came flying over to confront Skeeter. Skeeter’s obviously-ill (and obviously-oblivious :)) mom comes onto the porch and interrupts the confrontation. She comments on Hilly’s poor appearance and notes the nasty fever blister on Hilly’s mouth, as in the movie. However, she seems removed from the situation, offering to pay for beauty shop appointments for the girls. She then wanders back into the house. She seems more fragile from the cancer than in the movie … and definitely doesn’t kick Hilly off the property.</p>
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<p>Wow!!! And casting WAS spot-on, imho.</p>
<p>IMO, in the book the scene works the same way, however is more subtle. Skeeter’s mom does not directly kick Hilly off the property but she stops her in her tracks, both by her obvious state of her health which takes Hilly off guard, and by passively aggressively commenting on Hilly’s appearance. I believe she makes a comment that no husband wants to come home to ‘that’. It doesn’t have the bang that the movie did, but the intent is the same…get the hell off my property. For me it was a great moment where Skeeter’s mom stands up for her in what has been a contentious relationship.</p>
<p>This shows how a book can leave some things up to the reader, whereas a movie often makes those subtle decisions for the ‘reader’ who is now the audience.</p>
<p>blueiguana, yes, the scene must be more subtle in the book.
Ignatius wrote " However, she seems removed from the situation, offering to pay for beauty shop appointments for the girls"</p>
<p>Was the mother in the book, in a drugged state, and even though her comment was “defending” Skeeter, the comment about paying for beauty apts for the girls is so less offensive than the movie version.</p>
<p>Alison Janey poured a lot of venom into that scene, thereby, defending her daughter, redeeming her past actions, and “taking” on the alpha mean girl. It was a powerful scene, in the movie, and seemed ‘out of character’ as I remembered the ‘mother’ in the book.</p>
<p>Remember these are southern ladies of a different generation. A lady is never aggressive in public. </p>
<p>Example: Mary Elizabeth goes to bridge club wearing a mismatched outfit because she was already three sheets to the wind. Instead of a </p>
<p>“Mary Elizabeth, you’re so drunk that you can’t tell pink from elephants!”</p>
<p>“Mary Elizabeth, bless your soul, you are a joyful sight!”</p>
<p>Basic passive aggressive with a touch of ice.</p>
<p>^^^ Yes, and that’s why Skeeter’s mom’s attach seemed way out of character.
Nice quotes above, ellebud, to exemplify a southern lady’s demeanor.</p>
<p>Also, someone asked me about the ending, Abileen being fired, and her future left uncertain. Could someone with a better memory than mine, remind me how the book ended. Skeeter left for NY, Minny received a lifetime assignment, although without the dinner spread, right ?</p>
<p>^ Right. In the book, Celia never did learn to cook, despite Minny’s efforts. </p>
<p>Also in the book, Skeeter arranges to have Aibileen take over her job as the “Miss Myrna” advice columnist.</p>
<p>M,m,m,m, wonder why the screen writers, left that detail out that Abileen would take over Skeeter’s job. Maybe bit too tidy ?</p>