Lee Daniels' The Butler, 3 Stars

This is a good movie, if only to see who is cast as whom. Alan Rickman, whom I admire greatly (superb in Sense & Sensibility and of course the HP series), is Ronald Reagan. A little strange to see but he gets Reagan's speaking cadence down very nicely and is quite credible.

Forest Whitaker (excellent in Good Morning, Vietnam 1987) is very good but I often felt I was watching a performance (except a family dinner scene, late in the movie). Oprah Winfrey (The Color Purple, 1985) is very good and should get some award nominations. But there is too much of her.

The strangest casting is John Cusack (Serendipity) as Richard Nixon. The 1960 scene is awkward (and is meant to be). But the 1974 segment, just before a slurred and drunken Tricky Dick resigns, is very well done and I felt it works. Jane Fonda (On Golden Pond) does a wonderful 30 second cameo as Reagan's wife.

An interesting look back at American Presidential history, most of which I remember or knew about. Worth seeing and I think I'd like to see again.

Muriel's Wedding (1994), 2.5 Stars

Well, I've seen better photos of Toni Collette. And I've seen her in better movies (such as Little Miss Sunshine). But I've heard this is known as Toni's breakout movie and one can see a wide range of acting skills displayed by her. Rachel Griffiths (whom I liked in The Rookie, 2002) is excellent also.

It's a disjointed little movie about a disjointed Australian family. It's well done, drags in some places, but I'm not sure I'd see it again. If you like those two actresses it is worth viewing.