Review of Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire (2009) by Philip S — 24 Apr 2013

Not sure what to say about this film. It had some really terrific moments, but a good chunk of it seemed a bit cliche and "off". There were moments in the first half that made me wonder if the director had a music video background with no feature film experience.

Some of the choices seemed weak. But the film is rescued largely by the moving subject matter and some strong acting moments by Mo'Nique in particular. As for Gabourey Sidibe, it may not be a popular opinion, but I think this might be one of those cases where an actor gets a lot of praise for their performance when, in fact, it is simply the case of a good character being tailor-made for them.

Let's see them in something else before we praise their acting skills and give them awards, yes? The stunt casting (Lenny Kravitz, Mariah Carey), while a bit distracting, does not seem to hurt the film thanks to relatively solid characterization.

Paula Patton is fine, but it might have been nice to see Ms Rain as a little less cliche as the earnest teacher and show a bit more depth. It's a fine film, but the narration indicates it is a better book.