Gene Seymour : Opening weekend success of 'The Butler ' surprising . He says it comes at a time of national reckoning on race , with Zimmerman , Deen . Movie reviews mixed , but hype masterly . Does it mark renaissance of black films ? Oprah 's hard work likely was n't targeted at movie critics -- though if you go by the Rotten Tomatoes website that assesses critical consensus , `` The Butler '' has reaped a 73 percent `` ripe '' ( as in positive ) score -- though it 's also true that even some of those positive reviews are mixed in nature . Gene:
Gene Seymour : Opening weekend success of 'The Butler ' surprising . He says it comes at a time of national reckoning on race , with Zimmerman , Deen . Movie reviews mixed , but hype masterly . Does it mark renaissance of black films ? Gene: