The Butler ****

He was a butler to eight presidents and a witness to history. Cecil Gaines' time at the White House spanned the time from Brown vs The Board of Education to the eve of the election of the first black president. Composed from the lives of several real men in the position, "Lee Daniels' The Butler" rides on one amazing performance by Forest Whitaker.

Starting in the fifties, Cecil's wife (a randy Oprah Winfrey) and children reflect the many styles, fads, and deeper cultural changes in American life. At the White House, a succession of well-known actors portray the First Occupants in good times and bad. James Marsden as John Kennedy, and Jane Fonda as Nancy Reagan are particularly memorable. With so much time to cover, and so many actors, you might think it all a blur, but Daniels holds it all together and the movie succeeds through its focus on Cecil Gaines and his personal journey.

"The Butler" is a fine movie, a reminder of milestones in race relations in the U.S. from a unique perspective, and a celebration of a life present and attending to the men in its highest office.