Dec 28th
The Butler** (12A)          
Cineworld Shaftesbury Avenue

(US 2013)

The son of a murdered cotton farm labourer is groomed to be a manservant and goes on to serve several Presidents of the United States from 1957 through to 1986.
Over-targeted but well-meaning historical human drama based (partly) on White House butler Eugene Allen. Its racist elements are too obviously spelt out and it lacks a general sense of direction as to whether it is focusing on the experiences with the various Presidents served (with some amusing degrees of star dissimilarity to their real life figures), or to focus on the central character's eldest son and his struggles in the Civil Rights movement. Some moments move, among a rather uneven whole.

Written by: Danny Strong, based on the book "A Butler Well Served By This Election" by Wil Haygood.
Producers: Laura Ziskin, Pamela Williams, Lee Daniels, Buddy Patrick, Cassian Elwes.
Director: Lee Daniels.
Starring: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo, Mariah Carey, Vanessa Redgrave, Clarence Williams III, Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jnr, Robin Williams (as Eisenhower), John Cusack (as Nixon), James Marsden (as Kennedy), Liev Schreiber (as Lyndon Johnson), Jane Fonda (as Nancy Reagan), Alan Rickman (as Reagan), Lenny Kravitz, Colman Domingo, Yaya DaCosta.
Photography: Andrew Dunn.
Music: Rodrigo Leao.
Editing: Joe Klatz, Brian A. Kates.
Make-up: Debra Denson.