The Weinstein Company has released four clips from director Lee Daniels’ upcoming historical drama The Butler.  The film stars Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines, a butler who served at the White House from 1952 to 1986, and tells his life story against the important historical events of the time as seen through the eyes of the many inhabitants of the White House.  Whitaker leads the pic alongside Oprah Winfrey as his wife and David Oyelowo as his son, but Daniels has filled the rest of the cast out with a litany of familiar faces on tap to play the many Presidents and First Ladies over the years, including John Cusack as Nixon, Robin Williams as Eisenhower, and Jane Fonda as Nancy Reagan.

Hit the jump to watch the clips.  The film also stars Mariah Carey, Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Minka Kelly, Lenny Kravitz, Melissa Leo, Alan Rickman, Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Redgrave, and Liev Schreiber.  The Butler opens on August 16th.

Here’s the official synopsis for The Butler:

LEE DANIELS' THE BUTLER tells the story of a White House butler who served seven American presidents over three decades. The film traces the dramatic changes that swept American society during this time, from the civil rights movement to Vietnam and beyond, and how those changes affected this man’s life and family. Forest Whitaker stars as the butler with Robin Williams as Dwight Eisenhower, James Marsden as John F. Kennedy, Liev Schreiber as Lyndon B. Johnson, John Cusack as Richard Nixon, Alan Rickman as Ronald Reagan, and many more. Academy Award® nominated Lee Daniels (PRECIOUS) directs and Emmy®-award winning Danny Strong (GAME CHANGE) wrote the script.