Precious

[Bourne101]

http://l.yimg.com/k/omg/us/img/0a/22/1995_9063350446.jpg?y=660&x=616&q=75&n=0&sig=IqMDkktlc65lIXUeQ5RfyQ--

Directed by Lee Daniels

Written by Geoffrey Fletcher

Genre: Drama

Plot Outline: Clareece "Precious" Jones is an overweight, illiterate African-American teen in Harlem. Just as she's about to give birth to her second child, Jones is accepted into an alternative school where a teacher helps her find a new path in her life.

Starring: Mo'Nique , Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Gabourey Sidibe, Sherri Shepherd

Rated R for child abuse including sexual assault, and pervasive language.

Runtime: 110 minutes

Doesn't look THAT good to me based on the trailers, but the great reviews are making it become one of my most anticipated films for the remainder of the year.

[Badbird]

I had to read the book a few years ago when I was in college. It was good, but very sad and disturbing. I don't know how faithful the movie will be to the book (it was very graphic in regards to her sexual abuse), but it certainly won't be a real crowd-pleaser.

[ericdraven]

It has Tyler Perry and Oprah behind it, so it will probably do 30 million opening, and I am not really intrested in it.

[Bourne101]

It's in limited release so a $30 million opening is not likely.

On a side note, Oprah and Perry bought the rights to the film after the film was already complete and had screened at film festivals, so their involvement should have no impact on the quality of the film.

[Mr.HyDe807]

I caught this trailer when I saw A Serious Man. I don't know, I'm just not feeling this movie.

[NathanRomano]

Am I the only one that thinks this looks great?

[legato]

Didn't Waters kill off this sort of thing back in the 80s?

[Frank the Tank]

The trailers for it look really sappy and like pure oscar bait. But, the reviews make it sound tremendous so I'll wait for it on video.

[drc5145]

I've heard a lot of great things about it so I'm definitely looking forward to it. The fact that Mo'Nique's performce is being thrown around as a Major oscar contender is interesting enough.

[franky4fingerz]

I really want to see this film. With that said I'm white and no/zero offense to anyone who is African American, but the majority of African American films are not very good. Tyler Perrys movies (I've seen them all) are basically the same message every time, and the black comedies are for the most part are very lame (friday kicked ass though). A film with an all African American cast that has Oscar buzz is just what we need. I thought Hustle & Flow was the second best movie of 2005 (only behind Munich). It was insanely over-looked. I'd love for this movie to do well at the boxoffice and get some awards. I dont know when it will get here in Atlanta, but I'll be there opening night when it does.

[ericdraven]

It's in limited release so a $30 million opening is not likely.

On a side note, Oprah and Perry bought the rights to the film after the film was already complete and had screened at film festivals, so their involvement should have no impact on the quality of the film.

How do you know that they won't expand it if the film does good in limited release. I mean it happend with Juno. This could possibly pull a Juno.

[franky4fingerz]

a hard-rated R depressing Drama could never pull a "juno".

[NathanRomano]

It's coming to my neck of the woods November 20th. I doubt this will pull a "Juno". I think it'll make its money back and reach it's audience but it's not going to be a huge hit

[Bourne101]

How do you know that they won't expand it if the film does good in limited release. I mean it happend with Juno. This could possibly pull a Juno.

You said it would have a $30 million opening. That either means it will open to $30 million the weekend it actually opens (which it didn't) or it will make $30 million on the weekend it expands wide (which it won't, Juno's highest weekend gross was $15 million). I never said that it would not expand or that it wouldn't do well in limited release. I actually would be surprised if it doesn't become a hit.

[Dutchman]

Saw this last night. It's OK. Not stellar. Not bad either, though. It seems to me that most people are on polar opposite sides on this. Some think it's the best film of the year, or if not that, a biting, effective drama. Some think it's a thin, pretentious melodrama constructed for suburban white people to massage their guilt. It's neither. Wholly, anyway.

Lee Daniels is a pretty bad director, and most of the film's problems stem from his hand. His pretensions are boldly obvious painted over what is otherwise a collected and practical movie. If it had been that movie on its own, naked and pure, with everything else just the same, it would have been a great film, because the lead performances are truly fantastic. Gabourey Sidibe and Mo'Nique will get Academy Award nominations, and they will be well deserved. They elevate the film above Daniels' chintzy showboating. Had actresses unable to deliver been cast instead, this could have been totally pathetic, but it works, not to maximum efficiency, but it does work.

This is the kind of movie that anyone can walk in, the hype train having been rammed into their eyes and ears for months, Lee Daniels being as bad as he is, and seeing Oprah and Tyler Perry's names on it, and intently decide that they will not fall for it. And there's a part of me that is totally like that. In the back of my mind yelling loudly: THIS FILM IS EMOTIONALLY MANIPULATIVE, MANUFACTURED, AND FAKE!! But it's not bad. Hm.

I'd give it, ***/*****

[NathanRomano]

Wow. Opened in 18 theaters this weekend, and made 1.8 million. Average of 100,000$ per theater. Maybe this will be a hit.

[ericdraven]

Wow. Opened in 18 theaters this weekend, and made 1.8 million. Average of 100,000$ per theater. Maybe this will be a hit.

Yeah, the numbers don't lie.

[FilmKing2000]

What a powerful experience this was! I went into Precious not really knowing what to expect and walked out stunned, riveted, inspired, emotionally drained, and yes, even on the verge of tears. This is a film of devastating power - an unmercifully honest character study that surrenders us to its unflinching, genuinely pure humanity in the most brutal and yet completely rewarding ways imaginable. From the monumentally sublime realization of its protagonist and the characters and environment that surrounds her to the hard-edged, straightforward, no-bars-held realism it utilizes and depicts, there's no manipulation of emotions here; this film is the real deal - raw, visceral, and relentless. Needless to say, the praise surrounding Precious is completely justified. The film is beautifully directed with utmost confidence by Lee Daniels, the adapted screenplay is gloriously in-depth with its setting and characters, and the ensemble cast - oh, what an ensemble! - provides, no lie, some of the most bravura work I've seen this decade. And while Mo'Nique may be at the center of the (completely deserved) Oscar-buzz acting-wise, it's Gabourey Sidibe who I with every fiber in me feel should deserve as many accolades as possible. With corresponding amounts of subtlety and visceral humanity, Sidibe gives what may as well be the most harrowing, heart-wrenching performance I have seen since Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream. But all in all, this is a film I just can't give enough praise for. And while I still have high hopes for a great number of films within the coming months (Nine, Up in the Air, The Road, Avatar, etc.), Precious has certainly set the bar ferociously high.

9/10.

[visual_tension]

There are some fantastic performances here. One scene almost made me tear up.

7/10

[hulk2009]

I saw this film in the TIFF, this movie doesn't llok all that good, has some moments but nothing to really make u see it a second time.

it might do better than expected but not really a gaint hit.

[legato]

Sadly, it's already a megahit man.

[BakeTheMooCow]

Some of the directorial choices here are so awful. When Precious is being raped by her father, there are quick cuts to eggs and meat frying in a pan. When Precious is flipping through a photo album after suffering verbal and physical abuse from her mother, the pictures become animated and people speak to her through the photographs. In other instances of abuse, the director will cut to a fantasy sequence that Precious is having or put up photographs of her childhood. We get that this is how she escapes and survives, but it is such overkill.

The wobbly handheld method that the director employs otherwise is meant to be gritty and realistic and it often is. But when you cut away at the most intense and difficult moments, it takes away from the experience and the movie becomes oddly cold.

The other major issue is the exploitative nature of the script. There is an actual young girl who has Down's Syndrome who plays Precious' daughter named 'Mongo' short for mongoloid. When Precious' mother is screaming abuse at her and calling the child retarded and stupid, it's the kind of moment where I just am taken out of the universe the movie exists in and I think -- well, of course that will get a reaction from me and from the audience. How obvious and transparent and manipulative.

The performances are quite exceptional, starting with Gabby Sidibe who is a complete natural and has a laugh that is beautiful and infectious in the rare moments we get to see it. But Mo'Nique is the true star and her turn as the horrible monster of a mother is breathtaking and brave. I expected there to be an explanation for her evil, repusive personality and I dreaded it hoping that the film wouldn't be dumb enough to make us feel sorry with her. However, it is handled in such an unexpected way by having her final monologue reveal a broken and mentally unstable woman who is not in fact worthy of our sympathy.

6/10

[Katsumoto]

Some of the directorial choices here are so awful. When Precious is being raped by her father, there are quick cuts to eggs and meat frying in a pan. When Precious is flipping through a photo album after suffering verbal and physical abuse from her mother, the pictures become animated and people speak to her through the photographs. In other instances of abuse, the director will cut to a fantasy sequence that Precious is having or put up photographs of her childhood. We get that this is how she escapes and survives, but it is such overkill.

The wobbly handheld method that the director employs otherwise is meant to be gritty and realistic and it often is. But when you cut away at the most intense and difficult moments, it takes away from the experience and the movie becomes oddly cold.

The other major issue is the exploitative nature of the script. There is an actual young girl who has Down's Syndrome who plays Precious' daughter named 'Mongo' short for mongoloid. When Precious' mother is screaming abuse at her and calling the child retarded and stupid, it's the kind of moment where I just am taken out of the universe the movie exists in and I think -- well, of course that will get a reaction from me and from the audience. How obvious and transparent and manipulative.

The performances are quite exceptional, starting with Gabby Sidibe who is a complete natural and has a laugh that is beautiful and infectious in the rare moments we get to see it. But Mo'Nique is the true star and her turn as the horrible monster of a mother is breathtaking and brave. I expected there to be an explanation for her evil, repusive personality and I dreaded it hoping that the film wouldn't be dumb enough to make us feel sorry with her. However, it is handled in such an unexpected way by having her final monologue reveal a broken and mentally unstable woman who is not in fact worthy of our sympathy.

6/10

I pretty much agree with everything you said here!! Don't get me wrong the performances are all pretty god damn fantastic, but Lee Daniels nearly kills this film with his directing decisions. It will be extremely frustrating watching him gain director awards come this award season.

[visual_tension]

Some of the directorial choices here are so awful. When Precious is being raped by her father, there are quick cuts to eggs and meat frying in a pan. When Precious is flipping through a photo album after suffering verbal and physical abuse from her mother, the pictures become animated and people speak to her through the photographs. In other instances of abuse, the director will cut to a fantasy sequence that Precious is having or put up photographs of her childhood. We get that this is how she escapes and survives, but it is such overkill.

The wobbly handheld method that the director employs otherwise is meant to be gritty and realistic and it often is. But when you cut away at the most intense and difficult moments, it takes away from the experience and the movie becomes oddly cold.

Agreed. I think that was the only big problem I had with the film.

[JCPhoenix]

Not to join a bandwagon but I also gotta say Bake hit it right on the mark. We walked out of this film today thinking that a lot of the movie was ruined by Lee Daniels' awful directorial choices (not especially surprising after Shadowboxer, but surprising after all the hype). The dream and fantasy sequences were completely mishandled as well - I was all ready to be blown away and within the first five minutes, I already had a sinking feeling that this wasn't going to turn out to be the masterpiece I wanted it to be. The things that happen to this girl just feel like a checklist someone made of all the worst things that could possibly happen - there really is no dimensionality to the film at all and it definitely felt manipulative to me. It's bad things happen to girl, girl strives against bad things. There's almost no layers to that theme at all and it frankly makes for plodding drama.

Performances range from good to fantastic but I couldn't care less about the movie. If this wins Best Pic, it's going to be my most disliked Best Picture film since Crash. Blech.

5/10

[APzombie]

Some of the directorial choices were indeed suspect but to be honest they never pulled me out of the picture because the performances all around were fucking excellent. It's an actors movie.

The other major issue is the exploitative nature of the script. There is an actual young girl who has Down's Syndrome who plays Precious' daughter named 'Mongo' short for mongoloid. When Precious' mother is screaming abuse at her and calling the child retarded and stupid, it's the kind of moment where I just am taken out of the universe the movie exists in and I think -- well, of course that will get a reaction from me and from the audience. How obvious and transparent and manipulative.

It's no more manipulative than most anything you see in the theater. At least it is harnessing the abuse to showcase a destructive relationship. I'm more offended by the way Michael Bay treats girls like Megan Fox and what that does to the psyche of adolescent boys. It's a choice girls parents made either way.

This is a phenomenon that i am championing (much more so than New Moon). There have been hundreds of African Americans coming to my theater to see this, mid way through everyone is crying. For an arthouse theater that is made up of mostly wealthy older white folks, i'm happy this is the success it is with the crowd it has reached.

[someguy]

This will probably end up battling My Son My Son What Have Ye Done for being the worst movie I've seen from this year. I actually felt a little frustrated at how a movie with so much potential got flushed away in such a piss poor manner. The biggest problem here is definitely Lee Daniels. Bake already brought up a few examples of the horrible directing choices in here. The worst one was probably when we're treated to a montage of childhood pictures of Precious and her mother being intercut with Precious being abused (with a terrible song playing over it too). The bad directing is only made more noticeable thanks to the really awkward editing and bad song choices for the soundtrack. And did I mention how fucking boring the first hour or so of this movie is? There was no sense of consistency with the movie. We're treated to long scenes of Precious getting abused and trying to fit in with her new class but big changes to the plotline are sometimes given in throwaway lines.

So what did I find good with the movie? The first thing is that Mo'Nique was the only person to live up to the hype. Her first real scene with Precious felt way too over the top but she really shined in that final scene with the social worker. Most of the acting was fine here except for Paula Patton who looked like she was moved to tears every single time Precious opened her mouth. Right now rating wise I'm going for either a 4 or 5. This is like the late night version of a Lifetime film. And now I just realized that I forgot to mention those stupid fantasy scenes that felt completely useless and out of place. I know that my rating seems high considering how much I'm trashing the movie but I guess I'm just generous.

[legato]

If you posted elsewhere sorry, but what didn't you like from My Son? I know it's not getting the accolades that Bad Lt. is, but I can't imagine how it could be bad.

[QUENTIN]

To my surprise and chagrin, I wound up agreeing almost entirely with a lot of what the least satisfied schmoes here have said.

Precious -5/10

Definitely the biggest disappointment of the year. Based on all the reviews, the reception at Sundance and AFF, word of mouth, the trailer, I really expected this to be great. It starts with an innately powerful story, but at every turn sabotages any chance at impact or audience connection with horrible, clunky presentation of the material. This is one of the worst (best?) examples I've seen of an inept director ruining what could have otherwise been a solid movie. The fantasy scenes are so out of place, jarring, and poorly handled. The story meanders from major, important scenes that it dilutes to hell to totally insignificant, pointless scenes that it lingers on for no reason. The performances are all fine, adequate, but I don't think any shine because Daniels never allows us to really feel for or understand the characters - except via a wholly unnecessary, on the nose, Lifetime movie level voiceover where Precious explains exactly how she's feeling over scenes that obviously convey the same for the sentient beings in the audience. Ultimately, I never really believed much in what I was watching, never felt drawn into the world in the slightest, most story developments were handled haphazardly, Daniels can't direct a scene to save his life (the editing is equally atrocious and soundtrack/music choices stupefyingly bad), so I just never cared what happened and was kept at a distance, and frequently annoyed, by Daniels' style. I expected this to be one of the year's best, it's not quite one of the year's worst, but it's not far from it. Weak.

[NathanRomano]

SOME SPOILERS

Very disappointed in this movie. The first shot with Precious walking in the school and in the class were the only really good ones. The fantasy scenes (ESPECIALLY THE CHOIR SEQUENCE!) felt way too Tyler Perry-ish and just melodramatic. Mo'Nique did give an incredible performance, and I do think it might be oscar worthy. Beyond that, it wasn't that great. Enjoyable, yes.

5/10

[Bourne101]

Precious - 8/10

I went into Precious half excited and half skeptical. Excited because reviews from critics were stellar and there has been a ton of Oscar buzz for it. Skeptical because reviews from my fellow schmoes were mostly mixed, claiming it was one of the biggest disappointments of the year. I agree and disagree with both the critics and schmoes. Precious is a very powerful, grim, depressing and moving film. It goes places that a lot of films like this don't dare to go. There's no happy payoff at the end, there is some truly disturbing shit that goes on and even when things get a little better at certain points during the film, this overweight and troubled girl is still in a world of shit. A steaming pile of it that she will never be able to crawl out of. That is what I really like about the film. It has a raw power to it that it pretty great, and it is nice to see a film like this not end up with the girl getting all her degrees, becoming a millionaire, etc. The performances are also fantastic. Gabourey Sidibe is very good as Precious. It's a very raw, natural performance that is pretty Oscar worthy if you ask me. The scene stealer though has to be Mo'Nique. I would be surprised if she doesn't win Best Supporting Actress. An incredibly powerful performance throughout the film, and that last scene with her is just fantastic. That scene was one of the highlights of the film, and she was certainly the biggest reason for it being so great. By contrast, the film is not without its flaws. With a better director this film could easily be one of the top two or three films of the year. If Lee Daniels wins best director at the Oscars, it will be a crime. I've seen a ton of films this year with directors more deserving of that award. He is good at making it grim and gritty, but the constant fantasy sequences and stylistic choices are very noticeable in a bad way. The whole scene with the Christmas song playing in the background (what a brutal song choice) is ruined by choices that Lee Daniels made. That was a very crucial and interesting part of the film, but Daniels fucked it up. I realize that the fantasy sequences give layers to Precious' character, but surely there were alternative ways to do that. So overall, I feel that Precious is not the masterpiece many critics are saying, but I also do not feel that it is as mediocre as some schmoes have been claiming. It's a pretty powerful film that takes an alternate path to films that are similar to it and features some truly great performances, but is held back from being stellar by the direction by Lee Daniels. I'm pretty stuck on what to give it as a rating. I certainly feel it deserves higher than a 6, but no higher than an 8. The performances and power of the film may also be too good to give it just a 7. I don't give .5s, so I won't give it 7.5 (even if that's probably the fairest rating), so I guess I'll give it an 8. But as high a rating as that is, do not forget that Lee Daniels' directing is a serious flaw in the film.

[therealjohng]

Easily one of the worst movies of the year. Hype has nothing to do with it. This movie has a lot of potential and it's just wasted with the horrible editing and directing choices. And talk about every cliche thrown into the mix as well.

To quote a review of the film:

Poor black girl growing up in poverty? Check.
200 pounds overweight? Check.
Kicked out of school? Check.
Abused by mother? Check.
Raped by her father her whole life? Check.
1 kid, another on the way (Oh hey, I forgot, the first kid has down syndrome)? Check?
AIDS? Check.

Seriously, they try their asses off to pull at our heart strings. And after awhile it gets old. This movie is ridiculous.

The editing is so poor, I can't believe this is being taken seriously as an awards contender. Close up of fatty foods being fried, cut to a bottle hitting Precious in the head, cut to Precious being thrown on her bed, cut to a close up of a male pulling off his belt over his sweaty belly. Cut to Precious being raped. Cut to Precious dreaming of herself walking the red carpet at a movie premiere while being raped.

Now, in competent hands, this could be well executed, but Daniels is so focused on using such bad music and overblown sound effects that it becomes very comical. I was laughing out loud during parts of this movie. Literally.

Now as bad as everything is in this movie, the acting is pretty top notch. Monique is very good in her role. The lead actress was good. I'm a big fan of Patton, I thought she was good. Unlike someguy, I actually didn't feel like Patton was moved every time Precious spoke. There has been talk of Mariah Carey getting Oscar attention. Her role is basically a glorified cameo. Although she is very adequate.

Lenny Kravitz is a complete distraction as a nurse. He showed up and I was interested to see what his character would do. Hey, it's just Kravitz as a cool motherfucking nurse.

The glowing reviews and awards attention at festivals completely baffles me. This movie is complete crap.

3/10

[legato]

The glowing reviews and awards attention at festivals completely baffles me. This movie is complete crap.

Middle brow white liberal wankery. Same thing happened with, the somehow better, Slumdog Millionaire last year.

[drc5145]

The editing is so poor, I can't believe this is being taken seriously as an awards contender. Close up of fatty foods being fried, cut to a bottle hitting Precious in the head, cut to Precious being thrown on her bed, cut to a close up of a male pulling off his belt over his sweaty belly. Cut to Precious being raped. Cut to Precious dreaming of herself walking the red carpet at a movie premiere while being raped.


Good lord. If that's the way the editing goes for the entire film then well, simply put, what the fuck?

I still very much want to see it but all the negative reviews by the schmoes here have lowered my expectations a bit.

[Monotreme]

Like some people here, I went into this with mixed expectations; on the one hand, the critical acclaim it's been recieving, and on the other, the mixed reviews it's been getting around here. After seeing it, I have to say that I agree with the consensus: It's a very emotional and powerful and moving film, but Lee Daniels' erratic and uneven directing really drag it down at times. On the one hand, I do have to hand it to the filmmakers and actors involved for not holding back and making this film schmaltzy in any way: from the way that some critics are describing it as "uplifting" and talk about its message of "hope", the film's relentless bleakness and grim nature are startling. The movie portrays a SERIOUSLY depressing situation and circumstances, and a girl who just keeps getting beat up by life in all directions, and even as she thinks that she finally gets a break and a chance, her terrible life circumstances come back and bite her on the ass again. The directing on the film was really hit-and-miss for me, but one thing that can be said is that Daniels knows how to get compelling performances out of his actors. Gabourey Sidibe is really impressive in her debut role, as she totally manages to embody and understand the character. Mariah Carey has a brief but really fascinating role and she's surprisingly good; Paula Patton delivers a really heartfelt performance as well. But the real surprise is Mo'Nique: I honestly can't believe that I'm saying this but she was simply AMAZING, and frighteningly convincing. At first it seems like a relentlessly ferocious characterization, but then at the end she has this really tender and powerful scene that really just takes the cake. All that said, and the film still suffers from major flaws, most of which derive from a lack of structure, erratic editing, strange song choices and inconsistency in tone. I see the reason of including the fantasy sequences, and I think that the jarring nature of the inappropriate song choices juxtaposed with the harrowing imagery and the strange editing are intentional artistic decisions meant to disorient the audience, but sometimes it just comes across as bad filmmaking, and that's a shame. Becuase in the hands of a more skilled storyteller this could have been a REALLY amazing film. A full review will be up in the coming weeks.

RATING: 7/10.

[dellamorte dellamore]

This movie sounds like a remake or reimagining of the Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

[APzombie]

The performances in the film are so damn strong i can't justify crucifying the film because the filmmaker doesn't utilize the dream sequences appropriately (they simply shouldn't have been there along with the jarring rape flashbacks really). As irritating as these choices are, i still really liked it because the dialogue and performances are of a caliber i have seldom seen this year.

[anakinsrise]

In the latest T.V ads for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire Mary J Blige sings Just Fine,but the life of Precious is far from fine.
Its a life with a mother (Mo'Nique)from Hell and then some ,abuse from local thugs,rape,and teen pregnancy.The only bright spot in her life is when she slips into fantasy worlds in which she's loved and adored.Then another bright spot appears after she's kicked out of school and is sent to a Each One, Teach One
and meets a teacher who pushes for feedback from Precious even though she knows of her horrific plight in life
Director Lee Daniels can be heavy handed at times with his visuals. Precious's life is terrible enough but he hits us with certain visuals to either turn our stomach's or
make us see his own warped analogy of Precious's situation.
All one has to do today is watch the 11 O'clock news or pick up a newspaper and view the horrors some parents bestow upon their children and teenagers,such as 5 year olds being sold and murdered,or viewing a child as just another way to receive more welfare,but for those who turn a deaf ear to such abuses Daniels puts these situations under a microscope
The performances range from good to great Mo'Nique and newcomer Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe will likely be nominated for various awards
Precious is not the best film of the year ,but is definitely stirring to the soul at times
Scale of 1-10 a 7

[Monotreme]

The performances in the film are so damn strong i can't justify crucifying the film because the filmmaker doesn't utilize the dream sequences appropriately (they simply shouldn't have been there along with the jarring rape flashbacks really). As irritating as these choices are, i still really liked it because the dialogue and performances are of a caliber i have seldom seen this year.

I agree. The performances really were spectacular and it's hard to really bring Daniels down because from an acting standpoint the film is a stupendous achievement and Daniels really managed to get some amazing performances out of a really unconventional cast. But in terms of the fantasy sequences and especially the music choices, but also the consistency of the emotions, the focus on the story and the dramatic resonance, Daniels makes some jarring cuts and utilizes strange editing, and it does unfortunately kind of pull you out of the entire experience and makes stand-along scenes extremely powerful and draining and harsh, but the overall experience to seem a little underwhelming. Mo'Nique was truly frightening, absolutely bone-shakingly scary. I can't believe she actually had all that in her.

[someguy]

I don't understand why the movie should get a pass just because of the acting. Everything else in this movie sucked. The awkward cuts, the pacing, the sappy music montages, the awful fantasy sequences, the soundtrack, the ridiculous amount of trouble that Precious had to pull herself out of, the fact that we spend an hour watching Precious get acquainted to the new school along with her living conditions but when she's kicked out of her home it's literally Precious going 'I FOUND A HALFWAY HOME AND I WON AN AWARD' before it cuts to her having a grand ol' time.

The fact that the acting was good doesn't save it for me. I actually think it makes the movie look worse. Lee Daniels clearly had the right people and material to make a great movie but he really dropped the ball.

[BakeTheMooCow]

Yeah, Mo'Nique is great and it is pretty much the only reason I give this movie a 6/10. But that doesn't mean it excuses the clumsy writing, terrible direction and other problems the movie has that someguy and QUENTIN mentioned. What about the scene where Precious announces to the class that she is HIV+ and all the teacher can do is tell her to write it down? Naturally Precious tells her to go fuck herself but the teacher just repeats it in a terse tone - Write. It. Down.

Such a Lifetime moment.

There have been many good performances in bad or mediocre movies. It's nothing new. Forgiving a movie ridden with faults because of one positive element seems like a very Ebert-like thing to do.

[Monotreme]

See, I didn't think that scene was a Lifetime moment. In fact, I didn't think that the film suffered from emotional immaturity - I felt that the film took special care not to tug at the heartstrings and it went out of its way to remain bleak and grim and depressing throughout. But in terms of the ending, I do agree that it was flawed - in that it provided no catharsis. It didn't bother me that Precious made her announcement and her teacher told her to write it down - what bothered me was that no reference was made to said announcement any more in the film. And it's a pretty major thing, I just felt like they kind of threw it out there and then swept it under the carpet. That definitely wasn't a Lifetime moment for me, though...

[drc5145]

I just saw it a few hours ago and most of you guys are right. This is probably one of, if not, the most frustrating 2009 movie I've had to watch this year. What kills me is that the performances are absolutely stellar, with Gabby Sidibe and Mo'Nique absolutely living up to the hype...but then Lee Daniels and his choices in editing and the soundtrack nearly kill this movie. It hurts especially with knowing that there's a really good story to be told here...but Daniels tells it in such a haphazard way. The fantasy sequences bugged the fuck out of me.

Such as when...Precious learns about her father having AIDS, it cuts to a fantasy sequence. WTF? Talk about sapping the power of that scene in a split second.

The music selection didn't bug me so much as how they were overlayed and used.

This is one of the most difficult movies to judge numerically because Sidibe, Mo'Nique and the rest of the cast's performance along with the remains of a decent story, can't bring me to grade it below an 8 but the directing is leading me to push it to a 7.5.

Personally, I do hope at least Sidibe and Mo'Nique do get nominated for the Oscars because they genuinely do deserve it.

[HurricanesR1]

I didn't see the big deal around this movie. It was a bad situation and all, but the movie didn't make me "feel" it....you know what I mean? It didn't have that documentary-type feel to it. In Mystic River, the viewer fould feel Sean Penn's pain, the same with Forrest Gump. This movie didn't have that.

6/10 at best imo.

[Monotreme]

My full review:

Many times, a mainstream film with a wide release will get mixed reviews from critics, no attention from awards shows and will not find an audience, even though the film is actually an incredible and complex piece of craftsmanship that nobody seems to be able to properly appreciate for what it is. Many times these movies end up becoming classics in their own right, and in hindsight their critical dismissal at the time of their release seems ridiculous and unexplainable. Classic examples include Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner” (1982) and David Fincher’s “Fight Club” (1999); more recent examples include Steven Spielberg’s “Munich” (2005) and Sam Mendes’ “Revolutionary Road” (2008). But every once in a while, a movie will come along that makes a huge splash at the box office, garners almost universal critical acclaim and becomes the center of attention during awards season, even when the film itself isn’t quite good enough to merit all its positive attention. In 2005, it was Paul Haggis’ “Crash”, a success story that cumulated in a Best Picture Oscar win, even though the film wasn’t very good and today is considered one of the biggest upsets in Oscar history. This year, we have Lee Daniels and his literary adaptation “Precious” (the subtitles seems quite unnecessary; advertising can announce source material just fine, it’s just redundant to name your film “No Country for Old Men: Based on the Novel by Cormac McCarthy”).

That isn’t to say that the film is bad. It’s just too much of a mixed bag, and features too many conflicting emotions and bad filmmaking decisions to really be as great as it could have been. I should emphasize that I disagree with much of the criticism the film has been receiving. A common disparagement condemns the movie as “emotionally manipulative” and “superficially inspirational”, much like other films that fall into the category of the “inspirational dramas” depicting stories of individuals overcoming obstacles and hardships that many people seem to hate. Well, I personally found that the film portrays a reality far too bleak and dismal and brutal for it to possibly be considered “inspirational”; in addition, while the film ends on somewhat of a high note, even that is laced with misery and becomes the lesser of two evils for the protagonist. Another criticism of the film – and of the book it is based on – is from the opposite end of the spectrum, and blames the film for portraying TOO bleak a situation to the point of exploitation. I personally found the scenario portrayed in the film to be strikingly realistic, and I think that people who are too ignorant to realize that such a grim existence can feasibly be led in 21st century America need a serious wake-up call.

Despite its unevenness, one aspect of the film that deserves all the praise in the world is its cast, specifically the performances of its lead actresses and the surprising and unexpected quality of these performances considering the particular thespians involved. First and foremost, we have the breakout role of Gabourey “Gabby” Sidibe, portraying the overweight, twice-pregnant and illiterate protagonist, Precious. The performance is a revelation both because of how convincingly Sidibe reacts to and interacts with her brutal day-to-day existence, but also because of how completely removed it is from the first-time actresses’ actual life. It’s always impressive to see a performer convincingly convey difficult and profound emotions that they probably would never feel themselves in their real lives, but for a first-time actress to convey these emotions is particularly incredible. Precious’ life is populated by three prominent adult characters; two of which see past her daunting exterior and genuinely want to help her, and one who does the exact opposite. Mariah Carey plays a social worker who takes a personal interest in Precious’ case and, in the film’s most dramatically gut-wrenching scene, makes a genuine attempt to bridge the gap between the teenager and her monstrous mother. Carey has only ever acted in two or three other films, including the atrocious vanity project “Glitter”, but in this role, she de-glams, puts on a convincing and raspy accent and actually manages to deliver a surprisingly well rounded and convincing performance. Paula Patton plays another alternate mother figure in Precious’ life, her teacher at her alternate school who takes a particularly personal interest in Precious, to the point of letter her stay at her home when she has nowhere else to go. Unlike Mariah Carey, Patton never did anything to totally remove my confidence in her acting abilities, but then again, she’s never actually given what can really be considered a “good” performance, which is what makes her tender and genuine turn in this film most impressive. But the scene-stealer is without a doubt Mo’Nique, probably one of my LEAST favorite “comedic” performers who totally redeems herself and manages to deliver a frighteningly convincing performance, incredibly transforming herself into Precious’ villainous, sadistic and purely evil mother. It is an incredible and difficult and extremely brave performance, and is even more impressive considering that it’s coming from the star of “Phat Girlz”.

The performances are rich and incredible enough to hold up dramatic scenes, but not the narrative as a whole, which, as I mentioned before, suffers from a series of bad directorial choices made by director Lee Daniels. The film’s biggest flow is emotional inconsistency: in an attempt to portray Precious’ inner feelings, Daniels injects strangely conceived fantasy sequences at key dramatic moments in which Precious imagines herself as a glamorous and famous personality. While the intention of these sequences is clear, their abruptness just totally jolts the audience out of the emotional flow of the film, and they just seem out of place. For a similar reason, Daniels chooses to set grim and dramatic scenes to oddly inappropriate songs and musical cues, which once again just feel forced and out of place, and interrupt the emotional resonance of the scenes. Other than that, the film just seems poorly done at times, or simply unfinished: the cinematography is inconsistent and often features zooms and loss of focus that don’t feel like stylistic choices but rather just like mistakes. In addition, the editing is quite disjointed at times, and many cuts interrupt musical cues in the middle or otherwise are just so sudden and jumbled that they completely ruin the dramatic flow. Finally, I just felt that while many separate scenes work wonderfully and are emotional and genuinely gut-wrenching, they are just too loosely connected for the film to actually carry a consistent dramatic arc throughout, as it jumps between Precious’ brutal home life to her newfound support in her classroom to her day-to-day activities to her inner fantasies. For example, a major dramatic reveal near the end of the film end sup completely ignored and thus irrelevant to the dramatic arc. As I mentioned earlier, the performances are absolutely spectacular, but the inconsistencies in the film’s tone and its jumbled and odd editing take away from what otherwise could have been a genuinely affective film.

RATING: 7/10.

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I was actually able to avoid most of the hype surrounding this flick, but I had heard this was a special film, and like any good cinephile, had to see what the hype was about.

Let me tell you, I was relieved to come into this forum to see many schmoes were on the same page as me (and I wasn't just crazy). Poor editing, narrative, and direction decisions are made, and spoil what could've been a true, gritty, and powerful film. The performances, of course, are phenomenal, and like other schmoes, are the reason it's getting such a high grade. There are moments in the film where we steer away from the flaws, but they're few and far between...and usually followed by a shot of Precious walking around, while gospel music plays in the background.

I can't say I'm too disappointed, but it is unfortunate that so much potential is washed away. We get some great raw moments, but then the film feels like "Dreamgirls" (first film that came to mine), and that's what truly kills it.

6/10

[BadCoverVersion]

I agree with the general consensus that Precious could have been a masterful film if only another Director had been on board.

The direction is ham-fisted, riddled with clichés and alarmingly tasteless. The soundtrack is just intrusive and the story which starts off realistically enough, soon becomes relentlessly grim and almost farcical.

You call your own child “Mongo” really? Like REPEATEDLY in voiceover…and what’s with Nurse Kravitz showing up at that party eh?

My favourite WTF moment was when Precious imagined herself singing in the choir and there’s some fella next to her cradling an itty bitty pooch.

but when she's kicked out of her home it's literally Precious going 'I FOUND A HALFWAY HOME AND I WON AN AWARD' before it cuts to her having a grand ol' time.

Haha.

Of course the performances are almost pitch perfect. I mean, even Mariah 'beady eyes' Carey in on form.


But Mo'Nique is the true star and her turn as the horrible monster of a mother is breathtaking and brave. I expected there to be an explanation for her evil, repusive personality and I dreaded it hoping that the film wouldn't be dumb enough to make us feel sorry with her. However, it is handled in such an unexpected way by having her final monologue reveal a broken and mentally unstable woman who is not in fact worthy of our sympathy.

The dialogue is actually superb in parts...and the final scenes are by far the most impactful and bleak. Mo'Nique is breathtakingly awesome and I agree that it's impossible to be at all sympathetic to this monstrous and weak excuse for a Mother.

[Heisenberg]

what’s with Nurse Kravitz showing up at that party eh?

Giving a preview of his next album. ObViOuSlY....:rolleyes: :p


I agree with the general consensus. The acting was fantastic, the directing was a mess.

The final scene for me, Is contender for scene of the year. Bonechilling.

6/10

[Puck Bond]

Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire(2009)-7/10...despite its awkward and unnecessary long subtitle, Lee Daniels' film about an overweight, illiterate young, African-American teenager living in 1987 Harlem is a very solid and sometimes powerful one. Obviously based on the best-selling novel, it tells the story of Clareece "Precious" Jones played by newcomer Gabourey Sidibe. 16 years old and pregnant with her second child, she is a heavy-set, uneducated teenager, who lives with an abusive mother and has endured a lifetime of hardship and strife. After getting suspended from her high-school for "being pregnant" she seeks the aid of an alternative school called Reach One-Teach One...a place for dropouts, lost causes etc. This isn't even a school for those trying to get an equivalency degree, its a step below that! There with the help of a sympathetic teacher and a supportive group of other troubled young girls, Precious learns there is another way...a place where she doesn't feel totally worthless. Although, I wasn't really looking forward to seeing this, I'm glad I did. I missed it the first time around and with its recent Academy Award praise, its getting another run. It's a worthwhile film that is at times great. It features a great cast lead by Sidibe and the sure-fire Oscar winner Mo'Nique as the abusive mother. Her performance is not all fire and brimstone...sure there is the verbal, profanity laden tirade and her emotional breakdown at the end(two wonderful scenes) but its the quiet more subtle moments of abuse that tell the true story of this horrific woman, like the way she simply orders Precious around or puts on an act to fool a welfare case-worker. As many have noted the direction and editing of the film is what lets it down. To deal with the pain, Precious often fantasizes about a better life...like being a runway model or a movie star at a premiere. These scenes feel forced and out of place. The camera is often just too busy, scenes and moments aren't given enough time to breathe. The material is strong and powerful enough to stand on its own...it doesn't need those extra tricks to take away from what should be the focus of the movie. Overall, its a gut-wrenching and powerful story featuring two great performances, that is somewhat lessened by the director. Cast also features solid work from Paula Patton, Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz.