Blu-rays, DVDs & more
eBay affliate link
Art of the Movies
Buy posters on MoviePoster.com
IMDb
The Butler movie stills
Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes
A.O. Scott, New York Times: A brilliantly truthful film on a subject that is usually shrouded in wishful thinking, mythmongering and outright denial. Read more
David Edelstein, New York Magazine/Vulture: You can object to the thuggish direction and the script that's a series of signposts, but not the central idea, which is genuinely illuminating. Read more
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: Fiction merges with fact, and finally soars. Read more
John Hartl, Seattle Times: Even at its worst, it prefers to stimulate rather than launch another noisy parade of stereotypes. Read more
Scott Foundas, Variety: Whitaker digs in deep and gives a marvelous under-the-skin performance; he seems to catch the very essence of a man who has spent his whole life trying not to be seen. Read more
Ben Kenigsberg, AV Club: Mostly, the movie is a straightforward soap opera-sentimental, reductive, and, in spite of itself, satisfying. Read more
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: Make no mistake, Daniels is gunning for awards here; the movie has that sheen, that Big Important Feel. But the performances keep it grounded. Read more
Jocelyn Noveck, Associated Press: Daniels and company may not have made a masterpiece, but they have made a film you should see. Read more
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: Remarkable not for its "Forrest Gump"-itude but for its unerring social portrait of a black middle class torn by the stress-fractures of an era. Read more
Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader: The movie's a mess, but a unique and provocative one. Read more
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: Like America itself, the movie's a stimulating tangle. Read more
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: Winfrey is good, though, demonstrating yet again that she's an actress and not just a celebrity playing an actress. Read more
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: A history lesson in violence and endurance. A sentimental journey. A tribute. Director Daniels and the dedicated cast of The Butler deliver all that. Read more
Tom Long, Detroit News: "The Butler" mixes big issues and big people and real human life with surprising grace. Read more
Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly: An ambitious, sweeping period drama that manages to be incredibly affecting and feel as if the words ''For Your Consideration'' are stamped across every frame. Read more
Wesley Morris, Grantland: It's not an interpretation of actual history as much as it is a reduced revision of movie history. Read more
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: Even with all contrivances and obvious point-making and familiar historical signposting, Daniels' The Butler is always engaging, often entertaining and certainly never dull. Read more
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: This is one significant film where less would have been a whole lot more. Read more
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: When compared to something as patronizing and manipulative as "Forrest Gump," "Lee Daniels' The Butler" comes off as an earnest crowd-pleaser with history on its side. Read more
Rafer Guzman, Newsday: Strong work from the three stars as a family splintered by Civil Rights-era tensions, but the film too often resorts to easy sentiment and simple caricatures. Read more
David Denby, New Yorker: A high-minded, didactic, but irresistible entertainment ... Read more
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: It's too obviously a careful tour through American history, and while some sequences work - particularly the various attacks on civil-rights workers - too much of it feels as flat and cheap as a film strip. Read more
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: A singularly full-hearted and moving film. Read more
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: A star-filled, if heavy-handed, labor of love that certainly has its heart in the right place, and scores dramatically often enough to recommend it. Read more
Michael Sragow, Orange County Register: [A] turbulent, emotionally overpowering movie. Read more
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: The Butler is an inspiring and important summation of the black struggle. Read more
James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Forest Whitaker imbues his part with immense dignity and the old-age makeup is effective showcasing Cecil during his later years. Read more
Richard Roeper, Richard Roeper.com: Forest Whitaker gives the performance of his career. Read more
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: There's no denying the stumbles that mar this alternately riveting and risible historical epic. Yet Lee Daniels' The Butler holds you, provokes you and ultimately moves you. Read more
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: "Lee Daniels' The Butler" is big, brave, crude and contradictory, very bad in places and very good in others, and every American should see it. Read more
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: "The Butler" is a nice idea for a movie, but has a mostly silly script and some of the craziest and most laughable casting imaginable. Read more
Dana Stevens, Slate: The director's sometimes absurd bravado-along with Forest Whitaker's grave, wise performance in the title role-is what gives this outsized and sometimes lumbering film its irrefutable emotional power. Read more
Kristin Tillotson, Minneapolis Star Tribune: "The Butler" has all the ingredients to conduct a "for your consideration" campaign come Oscar time - it's noble, poignant, historically important. Read more
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The forced mash-up of "Forrest Gump" and "The Remains of the Day" leaves a bit too much machine oil on the shag carpet, but Whitaker is there to clean it up. Read more
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: The Butler may be a sanctimonious cartoon, but it points to events in the civil rights struggle that were as grotesque and extraordinary as any fiction can invent. Read more
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: The film covers a lot of ground with many players, sometimes risking collapse, but it never lets us forget the quest for wholeness at the heart of the story. Read more
Alonso Duralde, TheWrap: It's too bad Daniels seemingly felt compelled to fish for tears, because The Butler has no shortage of powerful scenes and memorable performances. Read more
Trevor Johnston, Time Out: The Butler proves a decent, significant, but slightly stodgy affair. Its dignified restraint stifles its anger. Read more
Keith Uhlich, Time Out: Screenwriter Danny Strong treats history like the ultimate "then this happened!" checklist. Read more
Stephanie Zacharek, Village Voice: Sometimes it's too didactic or sentimental. But unlike Daniels's previous pictures, Precious and The Paperboy, it doesn't pretend to audacious storytelling. Read more
John Anderson, Washington Post: "Lee Daniels' The Butler" might have been titled "Lee Daniels' Forrest Gump" - its hero challenged morally rather than mentally, but watching history in Gumpian fashion, as a series of cameos viewed through a slightly clueless daze. Read more