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Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

Precious

United States

2009

109 Min

Color

2.35:1

English

Currently 3.2/5 Stars.
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EXEC Lisa Cortes, Tom Heller, Simone Sheffield

PROD Lee Daniels, Gary Magness, Mark G. Mathis, Sarah Siegel-Magness

CAST Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz, Angelic Zambrana, Bridget Moloney, Daniela Lavender, Chyna Layne, Xosha Roquemore

Cannes (Un Certain Regard), Toronto (Gala Presentation): People's Choice Award, London (Film on the Square), New York (Centerpiece), AFI FEST, !F Istanbul (Hit Films), Transilvania (Unirii Square Screenings), Abu Dhabi (World Cinema Showcase), Sundance (Dramatic Competition): Grand Jury Prize, Special Jury Prize, Audience Award

Synopsis

When Precious, who is sixteen, learns to read and write at an Alternative School, she discovers a new world. A world where she can at last express herself in a way she never could before. A world where each girl can become beautiful, strong, independent. Just like Precious… —Cannes Film Festival

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Matt Burgess

21May12

Mo'Nique lives up to the hype, she is simultaneously hilarious (shrieking insults and chucking TVs down stairwells like a black Dawn Davenport), grotesque and in her final scene, heartbreaking. Glossy 90s R&B music video aesthetics aside (oh well its Hollywood), the batshit insanity on display and beautifully raw, natural performances by Gabourey Sidibe and the supporting cast members make it worth a watch.

Mario Coelho

8Apr12

Mo'Nique gives a near perfect performance. And so does Gabourey Sidibe...

AdamantCocoon

5Feb12

What everyone said: potent acting (even a Mariah Carey nails it), but such baggy, meretricious direction.

Mario Coelho and 2 others like this

JLB, DT

DT

10Mar12

YES
Mario Coelho

8Apr12

The direction looks so amateur..

Westley

19Jan12

Some of the emotional scenes and dialog in this movie felt really melodramatic and overwritten; as if they were designed specifically to get the actors to emote (cry) as much as possible so that they could win acting awards. I'm all for emotional scenes in movies, but only if they feel real and organic. Many of the emotional scenes and monologues in this movie were so phony I was rolling my eyes.

Horror Whore likes this

Arisa

7Apr12

I'm kinda with The Opinion on this one. Does it make me an ass if I laughed quite a bit?

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Articles

Our roundup of essays and articles on this film.

Spirit Awards, Cineaste, Film Comment

By David Hudson on March 6, 2010

It's a stretch, and probably pointless, but maybe we can draw a few connections from the 25th Spirit Awards to the new issues of Cineaste

read article

Lists and Awards #5. Critics Circles and More

By David Hudson on December 14, 2009

The fourth roundup of year-end and decade-end lists and awards was updated through Sunday morning (previously: 1, 2, 3). Now, a new week

read article

Lists and Awards: Gothams, IDA, Spirits

By David Hudson on December 1, 2009

This year's double-round of list-making - best of the year, best of the decade - is already well underway (see "Let the Wild Listings Start

read article

The Auteurs Daily: Robert Ryan + In Theaters, Fests and Events

By David Hudson on November 6, 2009

It's a pretty interesting week for theatrical releases, and we'll get to those in a moment, but it's an outstanding week for Robert Ryan

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Topics/Questions/Exercises Of The Week—6 November 2009

By Glenn Kenny on November 6, 2009

The Hitman As Existential Hero: A Film Noir Invention?: Why is it that even the most unpretentious, not to say dumb, film noir is so

read article

The Auteurs Daily: NYFF. Precious

By David Hudson on October 5, 2009

"As in Monster's Ball, which he produced, and his first feature, the equally odious Shadowboxer, [Lee] Daniels emphasizes only the worst

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The Auteurs Daily: NYFF Lineup Roundup

By David Hudson on August 12, 2009

"Dear everyone with blase reactions to the NYFF lineup in the indieWIRE piece," C Mason Wells tweeted yesterday: "it must be hard leading

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PRECIOUS Review

By Twitchfilm.com on May 17, 2011

Coming to UK screens with pre-release buzz to match its star’s hefty frame, a Golden Globe win for Mo’Nique and a BAFTA best picture nomination, Precious is an outsider in an awards season filled with

→ read on Twitchfilm.com

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Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

Precious

United States

2009

DIR Lee Daniels

EXEC Lisa Cortes, Tom Heller, Simone Sheffield

PROD Lee Daniels, Gary Magness, Mark G. Mathis, Sarah Siegel-Magness

SCR Damien Paul, Sapphire

DP Andrew Dunn

CAST Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz, Angelic Zambrana, Bridget Moloney, Daniela Lavender, Chyna Layne, Xosha Roquemore

ED Joe Klotz

PROD DES Roshelle Berliner

MUSIC Mario Grigorov

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