4. The Butler (2013)
Much has been made of how the Butler is a bit loose with history and fabricates elements for dramatic purposes. This is not really a bad thing though movies have certain beats they have to hit, and certain points for them to move along, and thus things need to be chopped and changed for it to work. The oft discussed liberties that the Butler takes with specific events and characters are not actually a problem by themselves, as long as the spirit of the events remains faithful, and the fabricated events reflect real problems that real people would have faced at the time. But this idea of the spirit the film conveys is whats disappointing about the Butler. The film has an achingly conservative spirit, and despite being such a strong celebration of African American progression, it in many ways plays out like it is just the same old celebration of a simple narrative you learn in primary school, which doesnt reflect the true spirit of what happened. There are moments of sublime brilliance and originality (such as the early origins of the 1960s movement, and the depiction of violence towards African Americans), but these are counter balanced by the same old, same old depiction of the Black Panthers and Black Power groups that are demonised, despite the incredible good they did for their communities. There is also of course the problem of the ridiculous casting of various white presidents, such as Robin Williams as Dwight Eisenhower, and an inexplicable decision to cast John Cusack in the role of President Nixon. The casting is nothing but a distraction that again pulls the focus away from an African American perspective and positions the viewers interest squarely with the white characters, which we really dont need. The film is often referred to as a Black Forrest Gump, and given how ruthlessly conservative and right wing that movie is, its probably not an aspiration any film maker looking to chronicle African American Freedom Movements should look at. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuojHqfe4Vk