Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Directed by: Lee Daniels
Cast: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey
Running Time: 1 hr 45 mins
Rating: R
Release Date: November 20, 2009
PLOT: An overweight 16-year-old girl (Sidibe) struggles to keep her life together while living with her abusive mother (Mo’Nique) and attending an alternative education school in Harlem 1987.
WHO'S IT FOR? If you can't handle rape, physical and emotional abuse, then don't even think of seeing this film. In fact, it's hard to say, "You've got to see this movie, you'll love it!" It's more a movie you should see. It's the struggles of lives most of us barely know.
EXPECTATIONS: Fat girl. Tough times. I was a little worried this would come off like an after school special.
SCORECARD (0-10)
ACTORS: Gabourey Sidibe as Precious: The layers of this performance have to be very difficult for us to comprehend. Sidibe must be aware that she's overweight, and to play a role where she is constantly ridiculed for not only her weight, but her (supposed) ignorance must be hard to separate. Sidibe bravely tackles the role of Precious and brings us into her world of nightmares and daydreams. Pregnant twice at the age of 16, barely able to read, and almost completely broken ... but not quite. She takes what little she is given and fights for more. Score: 7
Mo’Nique as Mary: Number one villain of the year? Maybe. Mary is evil. For a while, you think the hatred she has toward her daughter Precious is unfathomable. It's amazing Mo'Nique is able to bring us in, and eventually see her perspective. Look, I'm not saying we can understand Mary. Again, she's evil. But that tearful explanation does make you feel something besides hatred for this woman. Not only that, right wingers will love Mary, this is why they all think government assistance is a horrendous thing. Score: 9
Paula Patton as Ms. Rain: A little goody goody. We don't get much of an explanation as to why Ms. Rain has dedicated herself as a teacher to a life that probably sees five percent of her students go on to some sort of secondary college. We see Ms. Rain in the classroom at Each One Teach One, but besides the journals, we don't see much teaching. Score: 6
Mariah Carey as Mrs. Weiss: We only get three scenes of Carey. She's the social worker trying to figure out some sort of scene for Precious's situation. Every one will talk about barely recognizing Carey. That doesn't make it a good performance. If it wasn't her, it's a forgettable role. Plus, is Carey using a voice box? Either that or maybe she needs to gargle. It's better than Glitter, and that's not saying much. Score: 5
TALKING: Precious gives us tons of broken English, and lines like, "They talk like TV channels I didn't watch." Her narration works well, and it skates the line of melodrama at times but never fully breaks the ice. Score: 7
SIGHTS: It's raw. Even the food (pig's feet) has the ability to make people avert their gaze. For the most part, when Precious chooses to lose herself in fantasies like walking the red carpet, it works. The ugliness of Harlem in 1987, brings to mind moments in "The Wire." Score: 8
SOUNDS: "Did You Ever See A Dream Walking" by Sunny Gale. Yeah, that's right. It's not just rap and R&B here. Otherwise we have Mary J. Blige and Queen Latifah, and a couple of Labelle songs. Score: 6
PLOT SPOILERS
BEST SCENE: There is something very comforting about the moment when Precious is joined by her classmates in the hospital. Nurse John (Lenny Kravitz) has something to do with it. I would have liked a little more time to see Precious relax in her environment instead of just struggle.
ENDING: I needed a little more. After investing so much energy in Precious's struggle, I wanted to know how her entire path is completed.
QUESTIONS: Is that elevator always out of order? It just seems insane that Precious would have walked those stair every day of her life, but we don't see it until she has to take her newborn home. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Sidibe. There will be a movement to change her, just like Nikki Blonsky from Hairspray. We are told to embrace and feel sympathy for overweight characters in films, but in real life it's a different story.
REWATCHABILITY: Yes. I would continue to turn my head away at a couple of the painful abuse scenes, but there is enough power in this film to warrant a second viewing.
OVERALL
It's a sob story. Precious consumes you completely. Her narration is simple, sometimes broken, and gives you a glimpse of an absolutely awful life. Sidibe gives herself over to the role, which has to be difficult for a young, overweight woman to do. Mo’Nique gives us the most evil mother of the year, but the fact that she is able to portray the confusion of this character is a testament to a great performance.
There are moments that become an odd music video and feel displaced like when she's on the street, clutching her baby outside the church. And it's a tough sell. Most people want to sit through a movie to escape. Here, you escape to a life non of us envy, and few can imagine. Precious survives against insurmountable odds.
FINAL SCORE: 8/10