Review of Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire (2009) by Daniela M — 04 May 2011

If a friend of mine said to me, "I feel sick. I have to throw up," my response wouldn't be "ooh, let me come watch." I know that people vomit, and I don't need to see it to know it happens.

While I know there are real social issues presented in this movie, I felt absolutely battered with them and extreme sterotypes. Too many movies now lack any subtlety, and I find that insulting as a viewer. If you want to present a topic matter this unpleasant in such an in-your-face manner, why not help someone real with a documentary? There are enough real horror stories out there.

A lot of the circumstances were overkill, as if we wouldn't get it if it wasn't the worst-case scenario. I often found it hard to generate any sympathy for Precious, perhaps partly because the movie worked so hard at sympathy at times, it came across as insincere. For me, Precious was often also nearly as unlikeable as the villainous characters.

I am an opera fan. If I went to a Mozart or Verdi production, and they sang it in English, I'd leave. Sometimes the real message and the experience are best relayed without the sledgehammer. It's okay to let the audience do a little of the work.

There were some decent performances, but I can only count on one hand the movies I've seen in over 30 years that made me want to leave. This was one of them.