Dan's Movie Reviews: Precious

Ah, the famous Precious. (The full title is Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, but who's going to say all that?) This movie came out of nowhere and has become one of the most talked-about movies of the year. It was an independent film with limited distribution, but thanks to people's demands, it has gotten wider release and, thankfully, is shown in my theater.

So, the big question is: Is it worth all the hype? Yes and no. Yes, because of the story and the acting. For those who've not heard of this movie yet, it tells the story of an obese black girl (newcomer Gabourey Sidibe) living in '80s Harlem, who was sexually abused by her father, and bore two of his children. She is also physically and verbally abused by her mother (Mo'Nique), not to mention illiterate. With a story like that, who wouldn't be interested? Anyway, let's talk about the acting, which is the main reason why this movie received a lot of media buzz. The acting is great overall; everyone completely immerses themselves in their roles and they are all very compelling. A couple of great examples are Mo'Nique and Mariah Carey, who plays a social worker. Mo'Nique is just downright nasty; she's a lazy, ignorant, and toxic human being who blames Precious for all that went wrong in her life. But, she's brilliant. Mariah Carey is also excellent as a worn-out lady who sounds like a New Yorker with years of nicotine. (If you ever wondered what she looked like without make-up, wonder no longer.)

Now, we move to the "no". The reason why this movie is not worth the hype is because the overall quality is not great. The movie was directed by Lee Daniels, who also directed a movie called Shadowboxer with Cuba Gooding Jr., and it's obvious that he's a visionary director. However, that vision gets in the way of the movie at certain times. For example, when Precious is told that her father died from AIDS, they suddenly cut to visions of her modeling for a photo shoot. These visions express her hopes and dreams, but they pop up at inappropriate times and end up hurting the film as a result. They take away from the overall serious tone of the film. Also, in the end, this is nothing more than an extreme black "we-shall-overcome" movie with the same message: "You're special, you're beautiful, you can do it."


OVERALL: This is definitely not the best movie of 2009, and I think it would be a stretch to call it one of them, but still, it's not bad. If you see this movie, good for you. If not, don't worry, it won't forever affect your life. But if you do see it, go only for the acting.


RATING: 3 out of 5