MOVIE · 2013
The Butler
Drama132 min
Cecil Gaines rises from a childhood in the 1920s South to a job inside the White House, where his careful professionalism puts him in the rooms of presidents while the civil rights movement reshapes the country outside. Forest Whitaker is Cecil, serving administrations from Eisenhower to Reagan as national battles over race and power reach into his own home. Oprah Winfrey's Gloria holds the family together unevenly, while their eldest son Louis (David Oyelowo) is drawn toward protest and direct action, forcing Cecil to reckon with what dignity, loyalty, and resistance look like across decades of American history.
Find out what fits your taste.
Rate movies and shows in ReelRecs, save your next watch, and get personal recommendations from the Reel Recs online service. Free on iPhone and Android.
Where to watch in US
These offers have not all been recently verified. Check the provider for current availability.
Included with a subscription
- MovieSphere+
Rent
- Amazon Prime Video
- Apple TV
- Fandango At Home
- Google Play Movies
- YouTube
Buy
- Amazon Prime Video
- Apple TV
- Fandango At Home
- Google Play Movies
- YouTube
Availability checked October 24, 2026. Offers can change. Rentals and purchases are separate from subscriptions.
More to consider
The Help (2011)
In 1963 Jackson, Mississippi, recent college graduate Skeeter Phelan comes home to a society ordered by segregation and starts asking questions about the Black maids who raise white children and keep white households ru…
Frost/Nixon (2008)
Three years after resigning over Watergate, Richard Nixon agrees to a series of televised interviews with British broadcaster David Frost, expecting a controlled comeback. Frost needs a hit and puts his own money and re…
Lincoln (2012)
In the final months of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln is racing to end the bloodshed while forcing a divided Congress and his own cabinet toward abolishing slavery. Daniel Day-Lewis is Lincoln, weighing battle…
Catalogue checked October 30, 2026. Use ReelRecs with an assistant