The Butler
2013 · Movie · PG-13 · 132 min · ★ 7.3 · 69% critics
A dedicated White House butler witnesses decades of American political change while the Civil Rights Movement reshapes the country around him. As public history unfolds, private family tensions, work pressures, and questions of dignity push him to reconsider how change can happen.
Also known as Lee Daniels' The Butler
Where to watch
Streaming on Lionsgate+ and Howdy.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 2013
- Release date
- 2013-08-16
- Language
- English
- Rated
- PG-13
- Runtime
- 132 min
- Critic score
- 69/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.3/10 (3,034 votes)
About
If you appreciated Selma or All the Way and want an emotional civil rights drama, this may work for you; Not for you if you need strict factual accuracy or lighter viewing.
Pros: emotional performances; sweeping historical scope; powerful family conflict | Cons: disputed factual accuracy; sometimes heavy-handed; compressed subplots
Themes
- usa president
- the white house
- 1970s
- butler
- slavery
- john f. kennedy
- black panther party
- racial segregation
- martin luther king
- based on true story
- ronald reagan
- richard nixon
- +17 more
Cast & crew
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
Lenny Kravitz
as James Holloway
Aml Ameen
as Cecil Gaines (15)
Directed by Lee Daniels