Lee Daniels' The Butler

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Lee Daniels' The Butler

PG-13

2013

2h 12m

History

Drama

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Popcornmeter

72%

Tomatometer

200 Reviews

78%

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50,000+ Ratings

After leaving the South as a young man and finding employment at an elite hotel in Washington, D.C., Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker) gets the opportunity of a lifetime when he is hired as a butler at the White House. Over the course of three decades, Cecil has a front-row seat to history and the inner workings of the Oval Office. However, his commitment to his "First Family" leads to tension at home, alienating his wife (Oprah Winfrey) and causing conflict with his anti-establishment son.

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Critics Consensus

Gut-wrenching and emotionally affecting, Lee Daniels' The Butler overcomes an uneven narrative thanks to strong performances from an all-star cast.

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Nijla Mu'min

Bitch Media

01/20/2021

I appreciate The Butler for the editing (by Joe Clotz), the juxtaposition, and its black-centric lens.

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

09/05/2018

It's a pedestrian script, with tons of exposition, tons of signalling, and jarring vernacular oddities... The Butler does not serve its own subject matter well.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

09/06/2017

B+

While the film fictionalizes many aspects of Allen's true story (even changing his name to Cecil Gaines) for dramatic effect, it stays true its sentiment.

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Carla Renata

The Curvy Film Critic

Mar 24

The performances of Forest Whittaker and Oprah Winfrey should and deserve to recognized as exemplary work for each.

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Jul 20

4/5

Beyond a few large leaps of over-convenient fictional story weaving, the film is a remarkable and powerful experience that everyone should see.

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

08/23/2022

3/5

Even with the film’s ambition and deeply moving moments, “The Butler” still comes across as a big Hollywood piece.

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Max W

@MaxthorWoo Mar 17

Led by Forest Whitaker, the film boasts a star-studded cast that navigates modern American history through the eyes of its characters. While the narrative avoids major highs and lows, it also lacks particularly standout moments, resulting in an overall performance that can only be described as average.

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Ximena L.

@porcelainheaet Feb 22

This movie is beautiful. I cried the whole way through. If you grew up with a colored family and a father who dedicated his whole life to working and serving others with honest, clean work, this hits different especially when you’ve watched them grow old while serving the white upper class. This movie is amazing. I’m putting it on for my 14 year-old little sister so she can learn about our history.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jul 13

Success in 2 hours and 12 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated PG-13 for Language, Disturbing Images, Thematic Elements, Sexual Material, Smoking and Some Violence!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $116,600,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Laura D

@lauruhh Jun 7

Gives an often overlooked perspective into the Civil Rights movement.

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whitlind T

@RT69242312 04/04/2025

Absolutely soul stirring!! Forest Whitaker was absolutely amazing as always. Very emotional from beginning to end!! Definitely Oscar worthy.

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Alec B

@Alec97 11/10/2023

Whitaker is quite good, but some of the random choices to play the presidents end up giving downright embarrassing performances. Also, the melodrama is unintentionally funny on occasion.

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Lee Daniels

Director

Forest Whitaker

Cecil Gaines

Oprah Winfrey

Gloria Gaines

John Cusack

Richard Nixon

Jane Fonda

Nancy Reagan

Cuba Gooding Jr.

Carter Wilson

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Synopsis

After leaving the South as a young man and finding employment at an elite hotel in Washington, D.C., Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker) gets the opportunity of a lifetime when he is hired as a butler at the White House. Over the course of three decades, Cecil has a front-row seat to history and the inner workings of the Oval Office. However, his commitment to his "First Family" leads to tension at home, alienating his wife (Oprah Winfrey) and causing conflict with his anti-establishment son.

Director: Lee Daniels
Producer: Pamela Oas Williams, Laura Ziskin, Buddy Patrick, Cassian Elwes
Screenwriter: Danny Strong
Distributor: Weinstein Co.
Production Co: Laura Ziskin Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Language|Disturbing Images|Thematic Elements|Sexual Material|Smoking|Some Violence)
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 16, 2013, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 16, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $116.6M
Runtime: 2h 12m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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