‘The Help’ should work harder to entertain

Period films are always very hit or miss, in my opinion.

When a movie goes back in time to tell a story, it must do its best to recreate that era for the audience or people will never be able to get past that and into the movie's premise.

So, while "The Help" does a good job of recreating the 1960s, the story it tells could use some work.

Based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Kathryn Stockett, "The Help" tells the story of three women in Jackson, Miss., during the civil rights era.

The film mainly focuses on Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis), a black maid in a white household where she acts as a mother to the child she takes care off. The story also focuses on Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer), a maid in another household where her boss Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard) wants her to use a separate bathroom.

Finally, there is Skeeter Phelan (Emma Stone), a recent college graduate who wants to make it big as a professional writer. Her idea is to interview maids around town and focus on their perspective and give them a voice they've never had during those turbulent times.

Throughout the story, the women debate whether what they are doing is the right thing and what might happen to them if they continue.

Each of the three main characters also have their own side stories, such as dealing with an over-bearing mother or teaching a housewife how to cook properly, with these stories crossing over into the main plot as well.

The main story is easily the best part of the film and, as it focuses on the stories the maids have to tell about their jobs, it really does a good job.

However, the sub-plots could use work, as they frequently felt like they were fighting with each other for which one was more important. They were good for characterization but as stories themselves go, they were weak.

As acting goes, both Stone and Davis did great jobs, but occasionally it felt like Spencer wasn't sure what to do with herself when she wasn't talking, almost like a living cardboard cut-out.

Howard also did a great job of being a great combination of passive-aggressive and snootiness that was needed for the film's villain. However, the best performance belongs to Jessica Chastain, a housewife who doesn't seem to fit in with the local girl's club, but is really just looking for a friend.

Surprisingly, the original score composed by Thomas Newman was one of the best things about this movie, but I wouldn't expect anything less from the man who had worked on "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Wall-E."

So, "The Help" isn't perfect, but it does a fine job of recreating an important time in American history and is a story that is worth being heard at least once.

I just wish the plot wasn't so busy.