Mr Iam went to see the Butler whilst I was away this weekend (hmmm). He said it was a real weepy, he loved it, and like you Barbs, talked about the way it spans our adult lives.
Went to see this film yesterday and felt it was one of the best, most touching film I've seen in a long time. If your planing to go, be warned and take plenty of tissues with you.
The thing that struck me most about the film was, like the butler I had lived through all of those changes in the last 50 years!