"Lee Daniels' The Butler" is already generating Oscar buzz ahead of its Friday release.
Strong reviews for the movie should help its case with Academy members and viewers looking for a reprieve from summer blockbuster fare. The movie focuses on a quiet White House butler who serves the most powerful men in the free world under eight presidential administrations, examining the Civil Rights movement and changing attitudes towards social and political equality in the process.
Some critics have carped that the film is overly didactic and complained that Daniels' direction lacks subtlety, but the performances of stars Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey have earned high marks.