Precious

Incest, rape, pregnancy … finally these three storylines have been put together in one movie. Precious was a movie that I knew about but didn’t pay much attention to until I heard the praise the performances were receiving. I knew if I bided my time Mo’Nique would eventually take her rightful place as one of the greatest living actresses.

This was a strange movie. The subject matter was insanely dark but at the same time the movie was uplifting. Multiple times the reality of Precious’ life was broken up by these strange fantasies that never really led to anything more than showing her imagination. Throw in a cast that includes Mo’Nique, Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz in non-cameo legit roles and Precious resembles nothing else I have seen in a long time. When the movie ends and you look back and think AIDS is the easiest hurdle Precious had to overcome, well my friends, then you know the story went to some dark levels.

How is someone like Gabourey Sidibe found for this role? I’m not even talking about her size; it was more about the way she spoke. Precious had little to no education and Sidibe was able to speak in a way that made her believable. Even better than that, Mo’Nique was just an awful human being as her mother. She was somehow able to keep her completely evil while not crossing over into a cartoon. Then she brought it all home in her final scenes, which just about sewed up the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Slightly overshadowed by Mo’Nique’s work was a performance by Mariah Carey that I had no idea she was capable of delivering. Where the hell did this movie come from?

Great movies come from the strangest places. Precious seemed like one of those movies that would show up for one weekend then disappear never to be heard from again. Instead people are getting shiny statues for their efforts and I'm glad I bought the ticket.

8 out of 10