When it comes to how Cecil and all those presidents interact, “The Butler” does not achieve a similar realism. Whenever a president needs a sympathetic ear, or a presidential child like young Caroline Kennedy is in search of a patient reader, Cecil manages to be magically around.
Where “The Butler” really starts to give off mixed messages is when Cecil’s son Louis comes of age. A thorn in his father’s side who sees the old man as an accommodating Uncle Tom type, Louis heads off to Fisk University to begin both the study of nonviolent protest with James Lawson (Jesse Williams), and a relationship with classmate Carol Hammie (Yaya Alafia).
Though the generation-gap clashes between father and son over how best to confront institutional prejudice — and over Sidney Poitier’s acting abilities — are another of the film’s strong points, the plotting here becomes too contrived to be effective.