--- title: "The Butler" year: 2013 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-butler" fi1m_id: "the-butler" imdb_id: "tt1327773" tmdb_id: 132363 wikidata_id: "Q3520173" fi1m_score: 66 critics_score: 63 critics_reviews: 23 published: "2026-10-01T22:49:00.609103+00:00" updated: "2026-10-01T22:49:02.553496+00:00" region: "CO" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Butler (2013) Directed by Lee Daniels · 2h 12m · Drama ## Identity The Butler - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-butler - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** the-butler - **IMDb ID:** tt1327773 - **TMDB ID:** 132363 - **Wikidata ID:** Q3520173 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1327773/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/132363, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3520173 **Fi1m score: 66** · Critics 63 from 23 reviews *In a sentence:* The presidents keep interrupting a family drama we would rather be watching > Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey make *The Butler* affecting despite its crowded, insistent script. Lee Daniels’s historical drama is worth considering for the performances, with patience required for the famous faces and the repeated explanations. ## Synopsis Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker) works as a butler in the White House, where his duties put him close to the people governing the country. Away from work are Gloria Gaines (Oprah Winfrey) and his son, Louis Gaines (David Oyelowo), whose civil-rights activism challenges Cecil’s belief in quiet, dignified service. Cecil wants to do his job properly, but the restraint it demands becomes a source of friction at home. Preparing a table for the powerful and arguing with Louis belong to the same daily life, as the family confronts competing ideas about how change can come. ## Review Lee Daniels tries to tell a family’s story alongside a broad account of civil-rights history, and *The Butler* struggles to give both enough time. There is enough here to make it worth considering, chiefly in the performances, but Danny Strong’s screenplay keeps hurrying towards another public event. Cecil Gaines’s work in the White House gives the story a useful way to look at power. It also creates a temptation to make every encounter important. Forest Whitaker makes Cecil’s restraint interesting because it looks like something he has learnt and continues to practise. The politeness takes effort; we can sense the judgement being held back. His performance allows Cecil pride in doing a job properly without pretending that the job puts him on equal terms with those he serves. When the writing becomes pushy, he remains measured, and the film depends heavily on that difference. Oprah Winfrey gives Gloria Gaines the energy that Cecil keeps under control, and their shared scenes suggest people accustomed to one another. The family scenes give her room to be more than an audience for Cecil. David Oyelowo makes Louis Gaines’s activism feel like a serious choice, so the father-son disagreement has more substance than a dutiful argument between generations. We can understand why Louis is impatient without dismissing the experience behind Cecil’s caution. Joe Klotz’s editing finds a persuasive way to connect their experiences, moving between Cecil preparing a White House table and a civil-rights sit-in. We were moved by that sequence, because the ordinary business of being served makes the inequality painfully clear. The connection needs no accompanying lecture. It is also more thoughtful than the dialogue that repeatedly spells out the disagreement between Cecil and Louis. Danny Strong’s script is less trusting. Too often a scene arrives with its lesson already prepared, leaving the actors to make an argument sound like a conversation. At 132 minutes, the film still feels hurried when it moves through public history, because so much has to be acknowledged. A historical family drama needs time for an argument to affect ordinary life; this one too often needs to get to the next event. Andrew Dunn’s cinematography gives the White House scenes a formal polish that suits Cecil’s professional manner. Tim Galvin’s production design makes the setting convincing as a workplace, particularly when a table needs preparing. That polish can also make the film feel too comfortable when it ought to be troubling us. Rodrigo Leão’s music adds to the pressure to feel, sometimes where the actors have already done enough. The casting of the political figures brings a separate distraction. John Cusack as Richard Nixon and Jane Fonda as Nancy Reagan invite recognition before there is much chance to consider the people being portrayed. These appearances make the passage through history feel more like a succession of appointments. Beside the patient work of Forest Whitaker, they are liable to seem like interruptions. Those drawn to the conflict between Cecil and Louis will find enough here to justify the uneven stretches. We would be more cautious with anyone hoping for a patient account of political change. Watch it for the family, and allow for some blunt explanations along the way. *Fi1m score 66, published 1 October 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is The Butler worth watching?** *The Butler* is worth considering for its performances, especially if family drama interests you more than a patient account of political change; we scored it 66. Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey make the home life affecting, but the crowded script, repeated explanations and distracting presidential casting require patience. **How long is The Butler, and what is it rated?** *The Butler* runs 2h 12m. It is a drama film. **Where can I watch The Butler in Colombia?** *The Butler* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in Colombia, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from CO$9900.00. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is The Butler, and is it suitable for children?** *The Butler* carries a UK 12A certificate, so children under 12 need an accompanying adult at the cinema, and suitability calls for parental judgement. Its civil-rights themes and serious father-son conflict make it a more natural choice for interested teenagers than younger children; the certificate alone cannot tell us how frightening individual scenes may feel. **How does The Butler compare to The Official Story?** *The Butler* is broader and more insistent than [*The Official Story*](https://film.one/film/the-official-story), which we recommend as the more patient, affecting treatment of political history pressing into family life. Whitaker and Winfrey give *The Butler* its strongest reason to watch, while Norma Aleandro carries *The Official Story* through a plainly told drama with less room for comforting explanations. **What should I watch after The Butler?** After *The Butler*, try [*The Official Story*](https://film.one/film/the-official-story) (1985, Fi1m 81): Political history presses into family life, with less room for comforting explanations. Then [*Small Axe*](https://film.one/tv/small-axe) (2020, Fi1m 88): For more patient attention to Black lives under pressure from British institutions. ### Reviews we read (23) - **Slant Magazine**, Chris Cabin (3.5/4): Cabin finds the film familiar in its broad story but formally radical and emotionally urgent. He especially praises Lee Daniels’s visceral staging of the civil-rights violence and Oprah Winfrey’s electrifying performance. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/lee-daniels-the-butler/) - **IndieWire**, Eric Kohn (B): Kohn finds the film a thoughtful, emotionally grounded period drama despite its sentimentality and occasional camp. He praises the contrast between Cecil’s quiet White House service and his son’s activism, along with Forest Whitaker’s understated performance. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-lee-daniels-the-butler-is-a-saccharine-civil-rights-lesson-but-thats-why-it-works-35971/) - **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (75/100, inferred): Brody finds the film stirring and politically resonant, though one filmmaking choice jolted him. He praises its attention to the dignity of ordinary work and highlights the power of its visual details. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/the-butler-and-philip-roth) - **Evening Standard**, The Standard (70/100, inferred): The review finds the film sentimental and uneven but ultimately compelling, with its myths about American freedom sharply challenged. It especially praises Forest Whitaker’s restrained, affecting performance as Cecil Gaines. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-butler-film-review-8941509.html) - **The AV Club**, Ben Kenigsberg (B-): Kenigsberg finds the film sentimental and reductive, yet ultimately satisfying. He praises the powerful interlude crosscutting a sit-in with the butler setting the White House table. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/lee-daniels-the-butler-1798177674) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Todd McCarthy (70/100, inferred): McCarthy finds the film emotionally effective and often engaging despite its schematic storytelling and middle-of-the-road approach. He especially praises Forest Whitaker’s finely tuned, ultimately stirring performance. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/lee-daniels-butler-film-review-601991/) - **Vulture**, David Edelstein (70/100, inferred): Edelstein finds the film crudely powerful despite its blunt direction and signpost-heavy script. He especially praises Forest Whitaker’s finely tuned performance, which conveys the grief and intelligence beneath Cecil’s deferential mask. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2013/08/movie-review-the-butler.html) - **The Guardian**, Mark Kermode (65/100, inferred): Kermode finds the film sentimental and over-polished, but says it retains genuine passion. He especially praises Oprah Winfrey’s energetic, complex performance as Gloria, whom he sees as the drama’s heart. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/nov/17/the-butler-forest-whitaker-oprah-winfrey-review) - **RogerEbert.com** (64/100, inferred): The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. No praise or complaint can be reliably identified from the provided text. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/lee-daniels-the-butler-2013) - **Screen Daily**, Tim Grierson (64/100, inferred): The page identifies this as a review, but the review text is unavailable. Its verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be determined from the accessible content. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/lee-daniels-the-butler/5058929.article) - **The New York Times** (64/100, inferred): The page content is unavailable, so the critic’s verdict cannot be established. No specific praise or complaint can be verified from the accessible text. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/16/movies/lee-daniels-the-butler-stars-forest-whitaker.html) - **Time Out**, Trevor Johnston (3/5): The review's verdict and specific points of praise or complaint are not available in the accessible page text. The page identifies this as a three-star review but provides no further review details. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-butler) - **Total Film**, Tony Horkins (3/5): The review finds the film an Oscar contender despite feeling rushed and flimsy as it moves through history. It praises the excellent performances, especially Forest Whitaker’s understated, commanding portrayal. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/lee-daniels-the-butler-review/) - **Variety**, Scott Foundas (60/100, inferred): Foundas finds the film both clumsy and overly sentimental, yet ultimately genuinely rousing. He singles out David Oyelowo’s electrifying performance and the father-son conflict as its most compelling elements. [Read](https://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/lee-daniels-the-butler-review-forest-whitaker-oprah-winfrey-1200575215/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (45/100, inferred): Turan finds the film significant and strongly acted, but ultimately undermined by contrivance and unsubtle excess. He praises the chemistry between Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey, while criticizing the implausible plotting around the presidents and the civil rights movement. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-review-the-butler-story.html) - **Empire**, Simon Braund (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the film earnest but overly preachy and sentimental, ultimately more worthy than enjoyable. Forest Whitaker’s quiet, sensitive performance is singled out for balancing the melodrama. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/butler-review/) - **Radio Times**, Dave Aldridge (2/5): Aldridge finds the drama sprawling and soapy rather than a safe fit for director Lee Daniels. He criticizes Cecil Gaines’s portrayal as a Forrest Gump-like figure, standing stock-still through history. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-tu9fes/the-butler/) - **Eye for Film**, Anne-Katrin Titze (75/100, inferred): The critic finds the film compelling and emotionally persuasive, tracing the Civil Rights Movement through a White House butler’s family. She especially praises Forest Whitaker’s nuanced lead performance and David Oyelowo’s portrayal of the son’s transformation. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/lee-daniels-the-butler-2013-film-review-by-anne-katrin-titze) - **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (B-): Goldberg calls the film a solid story of a father and son divided by history, despite its heavy-handedness and distracting detours. He praises Forest Whitaker and especially David Oyelowo for their restrained, quietly expressive performances. [Read](https://collider.com/lee-daniels-the-butler-review/) - **The Wrap** (65/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a powerful, accessible survey of racism’s legacy, but says it falls short of the sweeping tearjerker it aims to be. They single out the relationship between Cecil and Louis, especially a parallel dinner-service and sit-in sequence, as its most affecting material. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/butler-review-civil-rights-saga-heats-when-it-leaves-white-house-109316/) - **Digital Spy**, Ben Rawson-Jones (3/5): The critic finds the film emotionally moving and historically engaging, despite contrived writing and distracting casting. Forest Whitaker’s dignified lead performance is singled out as its greatest strength. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a531026/the-butler-review-whitaker-and-winfrey-excel-in-uneven-drama/) - **HeyUGuys**, Stefan Pape (3/5): Pape finds the film emotionally effective despite its uneven tone and sometimes unsubtle approach. He especially praises Forest Whitaker’s absorbing, nuanced performance as Cecil Gaines. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-butler-review/) - **Den of Geek**, Alia Haddad (2/5): The critic finds the film passable at best and criticizes its conventional, inaccurate treatment of race relations. Forest Whitaker’s performance is singled out as excellent, despite reservations about his portrayal of Cecil Gaines’s speech. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/lee-daniels-the-butler-review/) ## Details - **Director:** Lee Daniels - **Director:** Lee Daniels - **Writer:** Danny Strong - **Cinematography:** Andrew Dunn - **Editor:** Joe Klotz - **Music:** Rodrigo Leão - **Production design:** Tim Galvin - **Costume design:** Ruth E. Carter - **Producer:** Buddy Patrick, Lee Daniels, Cassian Elwes - **Cast:** Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines; Oprah Winfrey as Gloria Gaines; David Oyelowo as Louis Gaines; John Cusack as Richard Nixon; Jane Fonda as Nancy Reagan; Cuba Gooding Jr. as Carter Wilson; Mariah Carey as Hattie Pearl; Terrence Howard as Howard - **Runtime:** 2h 12m - **Release (Colombia):** 15 November 2013 - **Genres:** Drama - **Budget:** $25 million - **Box office:** $177 million ## Where to watch in Colombia - Amazon Prime Video: streaming - Amazon Prime Video: add-on - Amazon Prime Video: rent CO$9900.00, hd - Apple TV: rent CO$9900.00, hd - Apple TV: buy CO$24900.00, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy CO$24900.00, hd *Checked 2026-10-01.* Also available in: AR, AT, BE, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IT, JP, MX, NO, PA, SE, UA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *A Raisin in the Sun* (1961): Another family argues over dignity, money and what progress should mean. - *The Official Story* (1985), Fi1m 81: Political history presses into family life, with less room for comforting explanations. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-official-story.md) - *A Dry White Season* (1989): For the anger at institutional racism, with fewer reassuring pauses. - *Small Axe* (2020), Fi1m 88: For more patient attention to Black lives under pressure from British institutions. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/small-axe.md) - *Still Walking* (2008): Stay with the family tensions, while leaving the presidential appearances behind. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-butler