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PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE |
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For clarity, the above is the correct title of the film I will refer to as "Precious". Also understand that when the time comes
it will be included with the ten films nominated for Best Movie for the Oscars, Directors Guild, Golden Globe, and every other award. Just like
it won in Sundance and Toronto Film Festivals. Also understand that "Precious" is as depressing a film as one can get. It achieves the objective to take you into the lower
levels of humanity - the bowels of crap. It will make you gasp and for those of you with tear ducts, it will
probably make you cry. You will be appalled. And in the end you might be uplifted. Director Lee Daniels - who guided Halle Berry to Oscar Gold in "Monster's Ball" does it again with newcomer
Gabourey Sidibe. He even squeezes out an outstanding performance from rap performer Mo'Nique. But this is Gabby's movie and her character is
powerful - though, like I said, depressing |
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Precious is a morbidly obese, drastically undereducated teenage girl from Harlem
who is pregnant for the second time due to incetiuous rape by her father. Her father's behavior is not contested - in fact almost incouraged by her lazy good-for-crap mother, Mary (Mo'Nique). Mary
is a welfare slave and doesn't give a rat's ass about Precious. The fact that she calls her daughter Precious is ironinc in itself. Mary is an abuser at the nth degree. But through it all Precious zones out into her own little fantasy world were she is a high life diva and the whole world loves her. Pretty vivid imagination! |
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She winds up getting transferred to a special needs alternative school where she hooks up with a creally concerned ounselor named
Mrs. Weiss (Mariah Carey) and a generous teacher named Ms. Rain (Paula Patton). It isn't easy, but together they work to try to help Precious escape the viscious cycle she is trapped in. Naturally Mary objects because she wants her daughter to grow up as ignorant as she; and she is powerfully ingnorant. Much like Danny Glover's Albert character
in "The Color Purple", you will despise Mary. Moreover, much like Whoopi Goldberg's Celie character
in "The Color Purple" you will feel Precious' pain and suffering. You will hear a lot about "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire" because Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry
are Executive Producers. But let me make it clear - they hopped on board post production. Lee
Daniels had already completed the film. Moreover, Perry and Winfrey's involvement is merely to get the film
some much needed publicity and screens. That way it hopefully won't fall by the wayside like "Monster's Ball" and
many othre worthwhile small budget films. Take not Mr Perry, this is how a movie is made! I don't like getting depressed at a movie. I resist it.
So let it be known that "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire" successfully got me depressed.
Look for a bunch of statuettes to tag along for the ride! --GEOFFREY BURTON
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