Precious Review

Based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire, "Precious" is the story of 16-year-old Claireece "Precious" Jones growing up in Harlem in the year 1987. Living off welfare with a single mother, she is placed into an alternative school after the public school she attended discovers she is pregnant with her second child. A powerful drama from beginning to end, "Precious" tastefully weaves in some social commentary to accompany its carefully crafted story.

By setting the characters alone, the movie sets itself up to be a harrowing real life drama, but what really drives it forward is its stellar performances. The cast is strong overall (with a surprise appearance by a make-up free Mariah Carey) but the performance that stands out the most is that of comedian Mo'Nique. Portraying Precious' cynical mother, it is clear that her acting is coming from somewhere deep inside of her. The dialogue flows so well and with perfect intonation that I would not be surprised if most of it was improvised. Her presence in the room alone is enough to strike fear in the audience and her unpredictable and abusive behavior makes her one of the worst mothers since Joan Crawford in "Mommie Dearest". The way she steals the screen with the power of her character makes her a sure contender for the "Best Supporting Actress" Oscar come February.

Technically the film is very well made. The depiction of late 80s New York is accurate and the characters stray from stereotyping. Director Lee Daniels ("Monster's Ball") sets up his shots marvelously, crafting a believable story that is pleasing to the eye. That being said, the story does tend to drag at times and by the end of the movie some characters are downright forgotten.

"Precious" paints a stunning portrait of what life is like for many low end African American families in this country. Obese, illiterate and pregnant with her second child, Precious manages to fend for herself and overcome the hate sent at her from her mother. Although not an uplifting movie by any means, "Precious" does invoke powerful feelings from anyone watching it and is arguably one of the best films of this year.