Directed by:
Lee DanielsCinematography:
Andrew DunnComposer:
Rodrigo LeãoCast:
Forest Whitaker, David Banner, Michael Rainey Jr., LaJessie Smith, Mariah Carey, Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Redgrave, Aml Ameen, Clarence Williams III (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
The Butler is set against the tumultuous political backdrop of 20th century America. Director Lee Daniels’ epic drama tells the story of White House butler Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker), who serves during seven presidential administrations between 1957 and 1986. The film is inspired by Wil Haygood’s 2008 Washington Post article “A Butler Well Served by This Election” which chronicled the real life of former White House butler Eugene Allen. Through the eyes and emotions of the Gaines family, Daniels’ film follows the changing tides of American politics and race relations; from the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, to the Freedom Riders and Black Panther movements, to the war in Vietnam and the Watergate scandal, Cecil experiences the effects of these events as both an insider and a family man. (Entertainment in Video)
(more)Cast
Forest Whitaker
USA
Best movies:
Platoon (1986)
Phone Booth (2002)
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)
David Banner
Best movies:
Black Snake Moan (2006)
The Butler (2013)
The Experiment (2010)
Michael Rainey Jr.
Best movies:
The Butler (2013)
Amateur (2018)
Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016)
LaJessie Smith
Best movies:
The Butler (2013)
When the Game Stands Tall (2014)
Freelancers (2012)
Mariah Carey
USA
Best movies:
Live 8 (2005) (concert)
Tina Turner: Celebrate Live 1999 (1999) (concert)
Precious (2009)
Alex Pettyfer
UK
Best movies:
In Time (2011)
The Butler (2013)
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024)
Vanessa Redgrave
UK
Best movies:
Atonement (2007)
Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
Blow-Up (1966)
Aml Ameen
UK
Best movies:
Sense8 (2015) (series)
The Butler (2013)
Kidulthood (2006)
Clarence Williams III
USA
Best movies:
American Gangster (2007)
The Legend of 1900 (1998)
Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (1996) (TV movie)
Jim Gleason
USA
Best movies:
Roots (2016) (series)
Trumbo (2015)
Five Feet Apart (2019)
Oprah Winfrey
USA
Best movies:
Dangerous: The Short Films (1993) (video compilation)
The Color Purple (1985)
Tina Turner: Celebrate Live 1999 (1999) (concert)
Isaac White
Best movies:
The Butler (2013)
David Oyelowo
UK
Best movies:
The Help (2011)
Interstellar (2014)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
Joe Chrest
USA
Best movies:
Stranger Things (2016) (series)
Front of the Class (2008) (TV movie)
The Blind Side (2009)
Colman Domingo
USA
Best movies:
42 (2013)
The Butler (2013)
Miracle at St. Anna (2008)
Adriane Lenox
USA
Best movies:
The Blind Side (2009)
Where God Left His Shoes (2007)
21 Bridges (2019)
Terrence Howard
USA
Cuba Gooding Jr.
USA
Best movies:
American Gangster (2007)
As Good as It Gets (1997)
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (2009) (TV movie)
Lenny Kravitz
USA
Best movies:
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
Precious (2009)
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
Colin Walker
Best movies:
When They See Us (2019) (series)
The Butler (2013)
Maggie (2015)