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The Help

The Help

Change begins with a whisper.

2011146 minPG-13Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Director
Tate Taylor
Starring
Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer

Aibileen Clark is a middle-aged African-American maid who has spent her life raising white children and has recently lost her only son; Minny Jackson is an African-American maid who has often offended her employers despite her family's struggles with money and her desperate need for jobs; and Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan is a young white woman who has recently moved back home after graduating college to find out her childhood maid has mysteriously disappeared. These three stories intertwine to explain how life in Jackson, Mississippi revolves around "the help"; yet they are always kept at a certain distance because of racial lines.

Where to watch

Where can I watch The Help?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists The Help streaming on Prime Video, The Roku Channel (free) and Tubi (free) and to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about The Help?

The Help earns 15 badges, led by Oscar Winner and Modern classic.

Show 7 more
  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Cast

Reception

Is The Help worth watching?

The Help's Midcredits score is the 98th percentile of all films, from 1.4M ratings across 6 sources. 91% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

98th percentile

Better received than 98% of films

98th percentile among Drama98th percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)96th
Approval (how many liked it)98th

80 /100

96th percentile of all films

97th percentile among Drama96th percentile among 2010s

Critics 62 · Audience 81

Audiences liked it more than critics did.

Rating distribution

Ratings pile up at 9–10 with almost no detractors — near-universal love.

91% liked it

98th percentile of all films

98th percentile among Drama99th percentile among 2010s
91% rated it 7–109% rated it 1–6

Critics 75% · Audience 89%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of audiences approved than critics.

Awards

1 Oscars won · 3 Oscar noms · 35 wins / 60 noms overall

  • WonAcademy Awards· Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
  • NominatedAcademy Awards· Best Motion Picture of the Year

99th percentile

1.4M ratings across platforms

99th percentile among Drama99th percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 28% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$25M
Opening weekend$26M
Domestic gross$170M
Worldwide gross$222M

Returned 8.9× its budget — 99th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

The Help is a well-acted, emotionally manipulative film that simplifies complex racial history into a safe, crowd-pleasing story.

Fans praised

  • Outstanding ensemble acting led by Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer
  • Balances humor and heartbreak for an emotionally engaging experience
  • Reveals hidden stories of dignity and courage among black maids

Detractors panned

  • White savior narrative centers a privileged protagonist over the maids
  • Sanitized, sugarcoated depiction of racism avoids real brutality and danger
  • Caricature villains and simplistic good-versus-evil framing

What stands out

Acting85

Viola Davis's quiet power, Octavia Spencer's sass, Bryce Dallas Howard's villainy

Emotional impactDivisive70

Manipulative tearjerker that moves many but feels unearned to critics

HumorDivisive70

Comedy (poo-pie scene, Sissy Spacek) lightens theme but divides audiences

DialogueDivisive65

Quotable lines ('You is kind...'), but sometimes preachy or cliché

Atmosphere65

Evokes 1960s Mississippi but feels too safe and polished

CharactersDivisive60

Some richly drawn (Aibileen, Minny, Celia), others one-note caricatures (Hilly, Skeeter)

Plot and storyDivisive50

Straightforward, predictable story lacking tension and historical depth

OriginalityDivisive30

Recycles familiar civil-rights tropes and white-savior narrative

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 2 points apart
  • Under-30s vs over-30s 2 points apart
  • Critics vs users even
  • US vs non-US 1 point apart

Watch experience

What is The Help like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Moving and uplifting: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you want to be moved and come out lifted.

It takes its time, has a few laughs and leaves you hopeful. Skip it when you want things to move fast.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Patience.

What it feels like

Moving and uplifting.

Moods
MelancholicHopefulTense
Heaviest: late
Warm humor
Register
Tender · 13% of filmsWry · 7% of films: Amused and slightly dry about it.
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film is played with a warm, sincere earnestness, using humor to leaven the heavy subject matter without undercutting the seriousness of the racial injustices depicted.
The rideThe film balances warmth and humor with the underlying tension of racial injustice; the emotional weight peaks in the final act as Aibileen is fired and leaves.
StructureThe film unfolds in a conventional three-act structure: Skeeter's idea, the gathering of stories, and the book's publication and fallout.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Hopeful.

The answer rests on this: HopefulBittersweetThought-provoking
Why it leaves you this wayThe film leaves you with a warm hope for change while acknowledging the painful cost, and it lingers with a quiet urgency about the need to speak up against injustice.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Rebirth
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13% (this title): Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% (this title) · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Rebirth: A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed. · Liberation: Breaking free of a confining life (Room).

13% of films fit this archetype

with Mystery underneath

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeThe story follows Skeeter's effort to gather the maids' stories, which leads to a collective reckoning with injustice and a sense of liberation for the maids and Skeeter herself. The mystery of Constantine's departure adds a secondary investigative thread.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfPrejudiceSociety
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% (this title) · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9% (this title): Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% (this title) · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% (this title) · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Society

Prejudice · 3% of filmsJustice · 13% of filmsHope · 5% of films
Celebrates its theme: Affirms its theme — this is good and worth having.Community stakes: Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe film explores the corrosive effects of racial prejudice in a segregated Southern town, and the courage required to speak out against it.
StanceThe film affirms the courage and solidarity of the maids and Skeeter in challenging prejudice, celebrating their collective act of defiance.

The world

Mid 20th centuryDomesticRuralRealistic
Orchestral modernFolkSupportive music · original score · Thomas Newman
SettingJackson, Mississippi, during the early 1960s Civil Rights era
MusicThomas Newman's score blends gentle piano and strings, evoking Southern warmth and dignity.

Content guide

Is The Help okay for kids?

PG-13

The Help is rated PG-13: “Rated PG-13 for thematic material” (MPAA). As of October 3, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at moderate (37/100), sexual content at mild (20/100), language at moderate (54/100), drug and alcohol content at moderate (41/100) and frightening material at moderate (41/100). Overall it is heavier than 43% of PG-13-rated films.

Ratings in 23 other countries
  • UK12A
  • CanadaPG
  • AustraliaM
  • Germany0
  • FranceTP
  • Ireland12A
  • JapanG
  • South KoreaAll
  • Brazil12
  • Belgium18
  • Czechia15+
  • Denmark7
  • FinlandK-12
  • Hungary12
  • Netherlands12
  • Norway9
  • Poland12
  • PortugalM/12
  • RO12
  • Russia16+
  • SpainAPTA
  • Sweden15
  • Switzerland12
Overall
Moderate · all five categories
Heavier than 29% of all filmsHeavier than 43% of PG-13-rated films
Violence & Gore
Moderate
typical for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 35%
Sex & Nudity
Mild
typical for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 29%
Profanity
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
heavy for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 78%
Alcohol & Drugs
Moderate
heavy for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 83%
Frightening / Intense
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 44%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

Nothing here is extreme. The strongest element is language, heavier than 78% of PG-13-rated films.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does The Help have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in The Help?

Cast

7 award-winning performances in the cast.

Emma Stone
as Skeeter Phelan
SAG win: Screen Actors Guild Award — Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PictureTop draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Viola Davis
as Aibileen Clark
SAG win: Screen Actors Guild Award — Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PictureTop draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Bryce Dallas Howard
as Hilly Holbrook
SAG win: Screen Actors Guild Award — Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Octavia Spencer
as Minny Jackson
Oscar win: Academy Award — Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Jessica Chastain
as Celia Foote
SAG win: Screen Actors Guild Award — Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PictureTop draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
newcomer then · star now
Ahna O'Reilly
as Elizabeth Leefolt
SAG win: Screen Actors Guild Award — Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Allison Janney
as Charlotte Phelan
SAG win: Screen Actors Guild Award — Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Anna Camp
as Jolene French
First film: No prior film role; they had worked in television.
Christopher Lowell
as Stuart Whitworth
Cicely Tyson
as Constantine Jefferson

Crew

More like this

What are movies like The Help?

Movies like The Help include The Secret: Dare to Dream (2020), Mississippi Masala (1991) and Green Book (2018). Of the 12 closest matches, several are stories about writers, and several are liberation stories.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

5 of these 12 share its subject: prejudice. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with The Help?

1.8K other films share the rarest tag below, follows: journalist. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.