"Precious" (I'm sticking with the short title for the rest of the review) was directed by Lee Daniels. It stars Mo'Nique, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, Sherri Shepherd, and Paula Patton. This is the first movie for Gabourey Sidibe."Precious" is based off the book "Push," by Saphire. It's not a true story. The movie is set in Harlem, New York. Claireece "Precious" Jones (Gabourney Sidibe) is a obese, 16-year old black girl who is pretty uneducated and is pregnant with her second child, as a result of being raped by her father. She has a verbally and physically abusive mother (Mo'Nique). She is given the opportunity to enroll into an alternative school. Her teacher, Blu Rain (Paula Patton) and her social worker, Ms. Weiss (Mariah Carey) both help in her efforts to turn her life around and make it a little better for Precious and her two kids.
Acting is definitely the highlight of the movie. All of the actors give fantastic, powerful performances. Gabourey Sidibe is wonderful as the lead character, who provides a lot of narration. This was a great part of the movie because everything is from her point of view. She is so convincing as a girl struggling with a broken, abusive household and very limited education. Her character is a great main character that I felt sympathy for - she just seemed like a real person. Her interactions with Mo'Nique, Mariah Carey, and Paula Patton were great and also varied depending on the characters, but worked so well with the film. I definitely think Gabourey Sidibe has a shot at getting nominated for Best Actress, because her performance is amazing and one of the best I've seen this year. Mo'Nique, who I have never seen in anything before this, but rumor has it she is a comedienne, is also great in this movie. Completely the opposite of her normal persona, what ever that is. She definitely has a Oscar nomination coming her way, too. Her role as an abusive mother shows a great range and is also convincing and horrific. I don't feel like talking about every single cast member, but trust me: everyone gives amazing performances and it is a pleasure to watch them work. They are a huge part in making this movie one of the best of the year.
Cinematography is another very strong part of the movie. There are lots of close-ups and some great editing and fade-outs into the next scene. Lighting is used very effectively to make it look like it's the 1980s. It's a lot less refined than many movies these days. There are a lot of parts that are out of focus and the scenes in Precious's house are especially dimly lit. This adds to the depressing tone of those scenes and reflects Precious' life at the time. There is some brighter lighting used when Precious is having fantasies about her life being better. There also are some great shots, like one looking down a spiral staircase as well as general good camera movement moving around various scenes. Overall it's very visually appealing and just adds to emotion and the quality of the movie.
The movie is incredibly powerful. There is sympathy for Precious and just shock and disgust for her mother. The movie definitely starts out sad, but is pretty inspirational and shows that horrible, unpleasant circumstances don't have to dictate the outcome of your life. You can definitely better yourself and improve your life. It's a great story that shows a variety of emotions. This includes a couple funny lines that are thrown in. It adds a more realistic feel to the story, as the brief lighthearted comments fit in perfectly with the exceptionally well-written script. I wasn't sure where to add this so I'll do it here: there are a few flashbacks of past events in Precious' life. These comes out occasionally as she talks to people and such. It works out well and is a good technique to use.
I'm pretty impressed that this is only the second movie that Lee Daniels has directed. I think everyone should be as impressed as I am. He made a heck of movie. Every single thing that makes a great movie a great movie is here...I'm not lying - it really is.
Great movie, any problems that I could find with this movie would just be me being really difficult and picky. It's a great movie. The acting is phenomenal, the lighting and camera work adds visual appeal and emotion to the movie. This is all tied together with a great script. "Precious" will definitely get a Best Picture nomination. If it doesn't there is something seriously wrong with people. So go see it now...like this second...it's amazing...one of the best movies that I have seen this year...and I've seen about 35 in theaters...so I have a lot to compare it to. 4 stars out of 4.
-Joseph Sbrilli
No comments:
Post a Comment