Precious
PRECIOUS (aka PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL 'PUSH' BY
SAPPHIRE) (15)
D: Lee Daniels
Lions Gate/Smokewood/Harpo (Lee Daniels, Gary Magness &
Sarah Siegel-Magness)
US 2009
110 mins
Drama
W: Geoffrey Fletcher [based on the novel
"Push" by Sapphire]
DP: Andrew Dunn
Ed: Joe Klotz
Mus: Mario Grigorov
Gabourey Sidibe (Claireece 'Precious'
Jones), Mo'Nique (Mary Lee Johnston), Paula Patton (Mrs. Rain), Sherri Shepherd (Cornrows), Mariah Carey (Mrs. Weiss), Lenny Kravitz (Nurse John)
A truly emotional & quite remarkable drama about an
abused, overweight & pregnant teenager growing up in Harlem during the late 1980's. Gabourey Sidibe is excellent as the title character, trying to further her education after being
expelled from school whilst being bullied and beaten by her mum back home in the ghetto. There are some scenes which literally make you gasp, but the scenes which pull at the
heartstrings give the movie a bittersweet balance.
Director Lee Daniels gets the very best out of his cast
ensemble, especially the forementioned Sidibe & Mo'Nique, who possibly steals the entire movie as the grotesque, bullying mother. Even Lenny Kravitz & Mariah Carey chip in with a
couple of decent performances. Yes, I said that... Mariah Carey can actually act!
8/10
