‘Help’ me if you can

New on DVD this week is the adaptation of Kathryn Sockett’s beloved Civil Rights era familial novel The Help. Emma Stone stars as Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan, a recent Ole Miss grad who returns home unwed—much to her overly starched mother’s chagrin—and strikes up a close friendship with the family’s African American housekeeper Abileen, played by Oscar-nominee Viola Davis. Along with Abileen’s friend and master cook Minny, these three unlikely friends fight through prejudices and collaborate on a book that will spark big change in their small Deep South town. Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer and Sissy Spacek co-star. Rated PG-13.