Entertainment : In Depth - The Help

After intense negotiations between Frank the Booker and Disney Studios, the Palace will play “The Help” in a two-week run, opening this Friday, September 23.

“Lion King in 3D” has been pushed back one week and will now open on Friday, October 7.

As I write this column, 21 advance tickets have been sold for “The Help.” So – in a 14-day run, with 194 seats in the theatre – you still have 2,695 chances to see this film at the Palace.

“The Help” will play Friday, September 23 through Thursday, October 6 every evening at 7 p.m., and in Monday matinees, September 26 and October 3 at 2 p.m.

Rated PG-13, with a running time of 146 minutes, this movie is not for our youngest viewers.

Set in Jackson, Mississippi, the story, based on Kathryn Stockett's bestseller, focuses on Skeeter Phelan (Emma Stone), a recent college graduate who comes home and finds she no longer fits. Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) and Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer) are African American maids in the employ of white women.

As she becomes aware, and angry, Skeeter convinces Aibileen and Minny to share their stories, which she develops into a book meant to shock and reveal.

There has been some controversy surrounding this book and movie. Although well-loved and entertaining, some critics feel the story glosses over the degradation and hardships faced by black Americans in the 1960s and throughout history.

Author Kathryn Stockett was a white woman, raised by black servants in the 1960s. I don’t have an opinion other than to say I am saddened by the controversy. The story is Stockett’s perspective and she shares it in a compelling and engaging novel. I really, really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see the movie.

OCTOBER

Following “The Help,” catch “Lion King in 3D,” “Contagion,” "Moneyball” and “Dolphin Tale in 3D.” The October schedule will be online and available for pick up at the theatre asap. It’s shaping up to be a fantastic fall at the movies!