DVD Review: Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire

Posted Mar 9, 2010 by Kevin Walker

Updated Mar 9, 2010 at 06:27 PM

Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ By Sapphire
Stars: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz
Director: Lee Daniels (“Shadowboxer”)
The plot: A 16-year-old girl, Precious (Sidibe), who lives with an abusive mother, Mary (Mo’Nique), is kicked out of public school after it is discovered she is pregnant with her second child. She gets a second chance when she is enrolled in an alternative school run by Mrs. Rain (Patton), who is dedicated to teaching the basics in spelling, writing and reading to undereducated inner city kids. Meanwhile, a social worker, Mrs. Weiss (Carey), works to unravel the mystery of what is going on inside Precious’ home.
Bottom line: The setting is urban and the cast primarily African-American, but this is the rare great movie that transcends setting. The real issue here is abuse. Be warned — “Precious” is unflinching in its depiction of verbal, physical and sexual abuse and its devastating aftermath. Daniels smartly ditched the politically correct playbook and made a profane, brutally honest movie that makes the plight of an overweight, illiterate black girl something universal. His other smart moves were leaving the viewer with hope and getting natural performances from Carey and the school kids (some scenes feel almost unscripted). And there’s this: Mo’Nique earned that Oscar. You won’t forget her performance, particularly her final scene.
Extras: A treasure trove of interviews with the cast, Daniels, the author Sapphire, Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey (the latter two were early champions of the film). In one interview, Daniels admits part of his motivation for making the film was to help him deal with abuse he suffered.
Quote: “Who else was going to love me? Who else was going to touch me? Who else was going to make me feel good about myself?”
109 minutes (R; child abuse including sexual assault, and pervasive profanity)