Emma Stone is leaving upbeat teen films behind her, and it looks like she’ll be putting some impressive acting chops on display in The Help. The touching film is adapted from the book of the same name, a heart-wrenching portrait of racial tensions in 1960s Mississippi.

But before you completely write it off as a chick flick, watch the trailer above and you’ll see why we think Stone’s star is going to start shining. Bryce Dallas Howard co-stars as a racist housewife, and she's sure to make a fantastic villain.