Entertainment : In Depth: \'Lee Daniels\' The Butler\'

“Lee Daniels’ The Butler” plays Friday, September 20 through Thursday, September 26 at 7 pm, and Monday, September 23 at 2 pm.

First of all, who is Lee Daniels? And since when do directors take top billing on the movie poster? According to Wikipedia, Oscar nominated Daniels directed both “Monster’s Ball” and “Precious.” OK, that makes more sense. Perhaps he wanted to be sure people remembered his name with this film. Hence, the title nod. But, come on, even Redford, Howard, and Spielberg don’t indulge in that type of self-promotion.

“Lee Daniels’ The Butler” is the story of a black man who worked his way out of the fields and into the White House. As butler to Eisenhower (Robin Williams), Kennedy (James Marsden),Johnson (Liev Schriber), Nixon (John Cusack) and Reagan (Alan Rickman), Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker) is privy to the inner workings of those administrations, and often called upon for advice.

His wife, Gloria, is portrayed by Oprah Winfrey. I’m looking forward to Oprah’s performance. She’s a brilliant actress (The Color Purple) who spent too many years off the big screen, talking about everybody else’s problems. She did give away a lot of cool stuff, but I am happy to see her back where she belongs.

This hilarious and touching film is receiving much critical acclaim, and still doing quite well at the national box office. Here at the Vinton Palace, anticipation is high. We’ve sold several tickets already (most for the Monday Matinee), so be sure to line up early or reserve your seats in advance. “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” is rated PG-13 and runs just over two hours.

OCTOBER

The new schedule is out, with “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters,” “The Way, Way Back,” “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2,” and for Halloween – “Insidious Chapter 2.”

ART FINE

Remember him? Retired Palace film critic, Art Fine, is back! Art’s been on a long and varied sabbatical, but is happy to take over the In Depth column reins for a few months, beginning next week. I know Dean, Molly, and Wesley will appreciate Art’s timely submissions. I’m thrilled to take some time off, and I’m sure you’ll all read with renewed interest! The reclusive Art tends to see things with a bit more “clarity” than even me, so feel free to send him plenty of feedback. artfine@vintonpalace.org