PRECIOUS
CAROLINE: The much anticipated Mariah Carey/Mo’Nique movie, “Precious,” is out in theaters in limited release, and it’s been endorsed by none other than Tyler Perry and Oprah herself. This movie has been causing quite a stir in the film community ever since Sundance.
RYAN: I really wanted to see this movie and had heard so much about its dramatic effect, but it’s very disturbing. What Precious goes through is absolutely horrendous.
CAROLINE: We’ve all heard by now about how Oscar worthy Mo’Nique is, which I didn’t really see until the very end of the movie. After that, I was like, “Someone hand this woman an Oscar.”
RYAN: I thought she was phenomenal throughout.
CAROLINE: Fine, but the other actors were just as good. The girl who plays Precious, Gabourey Sidibe, was great, and Paula Patton as her teacher was simply fabulous, not to mention breathtakingly gorge. Even Mariah was really good.
RYAN: I’ll give you Paula Patton and Mariah but I thought Precious was only fair. She has no real acting experience, LBH.
CAROLINE: Exactly my point. She did a great job considering it’s her first movie ever.
RYAN: I just thought Mo’Nique was riveting from her very first line. I will be angry if she doesn’t get nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
CAROLINE: This movie is a disturbing look at poverty, abuse, incest, illiteracy, teen pregnancy, welfare, you name it.
RYAN: It’s such a sad story. It’s aggravating, frustrating and terrifying all at once. Can you just please confirm for me that it’s not based on a true story?
CAROLINE: It’s not; it’s based on the novel, “Push.” But I think the director, Lee Daniels, is arguing that there are girls like Precious everywhere even though no one wants to acknowledge or accept it.
RYAN: After seeing this movie, I definitely feel like my life has been wonderfully sheltered and protected. It makes you feel pretty lucky that you don’t live like this poor girl. This movie goes to deep, dark places.
CAROLINE: It really stays with you. We saw this over a week ago and I still think about it a lot. The overall message of the film is uplifting though, so there is some happiness. But it takes a while to get there.
RYAN: It’s definitely not for people who want escapism.
CAROLINE: This movie was actually more well made than I expected. I kept hearing about how it’s this small indie with an unknown actress in the lead, etc… but it’s quite well done. It looks good and it’s shot well.
RYAN: I loved the soundtrack too.
CAROLINE: My only quibble is that it’s about twenty minutes too long. It felt like it ended a few times. I thought it was over, but then it kept going.
RYAN: I got a little restless too, about three-quarters of the way through.
— BOTTOM LINE —
RYAN: Seeing a movie like this makes me realize why I love sci-fi and fantasy so much. I’d rather see a movie about a magical world than such a depressing one. I don’t think I’d elect to sit through this movie if I didn’t have to. I’m glad I saw it, but I don’t want to go out of my way to recommend it because it’s just painful to watch.
CAROLINE: Yes, but it’s such quality film-making, and the acting was stellar. If there were an Academy Award for Best Ensemble, this would have to win it. Maybe it’ll win the S.A.G. Award in that category. I agree that it’s hard to watch, and if you went into this movie not knowing what it was about, you would be appalled. But even though it’s about abuse of almost every kind you can imagine, it’s ultimately such a wonderful story that I think it’s worth seeing if you can handle it.
— RATING —
