"My Precious"....Gollum

There was one point in Lee Daniels new film Precious where I was going to give up on it and was ready to walk out of the theatre. I have never been one for a happy ending but really what is the point of a film if there is no hope. To quote the great Andy Dufresne "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things". I am glad I didn't walk out (I always threaten too, but never have) because Precious did not forget about hope, even amidst the hopeless of the surroundings.

This film is a hard watch, it is filled with depravity upon depravity, but like Precious's character every once and a while we get a glimpse of decency and it is enough to keep us going. I credit the watch-ability to the filmmaking and the screenplay, both of which deserve some recognition. Child abuse of any kind is a difficult topic to deal with in a film, but in Precious we have to live with it in every frame and so does this poor 16 year old girl, who wants nothing else in life but to be loved and appreciated.

Much is going to be made of the performances in this movie and deservingly so. Lets start with the hands down, sure fire, Academy Award nominee that will be Monique playing Precious's mother. This is why her performance is so impressive, she is playing a character so evil that I probably have more in common with Hitler than with her (not the Jew hate thing, just the power struggle thing), yet she makes this character believable to the point where we see her reasoning and thought process. Also the Academy should take a look at Precious herself played by the new comer Gabourey Sidibe. I often think people miss great performances that are not showy, and here Sidibe gives us a character that defeat is written all over her face, confidence has been drained from her soul. Sidibe may never be able to give another good performance again, and maybe this was the role for her, but people need not ignore that and give her the credit that is deserved.

On the other end of the spectrum I could have done without an ugly Mariah Carey, her lack of make up and attempt to be "normal" was just distracting, and the one scene she had with Monique did not bode well for her. The other performance that I was torn on was that by the beautiful Paula Patten. I have heard complaints by other critics (yeah I put myself in the group of critics) that her character was too one dimensional, that she was too perfect, nice, sympathetic. I would very much disagree with that assessment, I think she was just a normal decent human being and the film did a good job of not painting her as the savior for Precious. Now there was one scene specifically where I really felt Ms. Patten fell far short of the mark, and hurt the overall movie as Sidibe out acted her and the balance of the two characters didn't ring true.

Precious is a powerful and emotional ride that is not for every body. I think the worst thing you could do for your viewing experience is take this movie as a social and political message first and a film second. The movie stands on its own and deserves to be recognized for its artistry not for Oprah and Tyler Perry promoting it.

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