PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL 'PUSH' BY SAPPHIRE — ★★★ — Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton; rated R (profanity, violence, slurs, rape, vulgarity, brief drugs, brief sex, brief nudity); Broadway Centre
"Precious" is not pretty. The movie that is, not the title character of this drama, which, as the full title notes, is based on the novel "Push," by Ramona "Sapphire" Lofton.
As for the film adaptation, it's a drama about understanding and appreciating the inner beauty. There's a lot of ugliness in it, though.
In fact, the unflinching depiction of incest and physical abuse makes this film hard to watch at times.
Yet it's worthwhile, both in terms of what it has to say about rising above adverse circumstances and about the power of redemption, as well as some spectacular performances.
Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe stars as Claireece "Precious" Jones, a plus-size teen who's several months pregnant with her second child — the product of rape by her biological father.
Precious is struggling just to pay attention in her classes, which is why school administrators have suggested that she study in a less traditional learning environment.
And the barely literate but smart teen has found a sympathetic mother figure in Blu Raine (Paula Patton), a dedicated, alternative-school teacher.
However, Precious' verbally and physically abusive mother, Mary (Mo'Nique), would prefer that the girl stay at home and remain subservient to her.
Nothing in Mo'Nique's previous film and television work could have prepared us for this performance. The actress (real name, Monique Imes) usually plays goofy, clownish types, and this is definitely not that at all.
This is a tough, tricky role, and one that demands real discipline. (Director Lee Daniels and screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher really try to help Mo'Nique and us get into this character's head.)
She's the obvious standout, though that's not meant as a slight against Sidibe and the other cast members.
Sidibe has to wear a sulky, pouty expression throughout much of the film, though moments of brightness suggest there's a sunny personality underneath.
Patton also brings much-needed warmth, and singers Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz are almost unrecognizable but are no less effective in supporting roles, as a social worker and as a nurse.
"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" is rated R and features strong sexual language (profanity, crude slang terms and other suggestive talk), strong, often disturbing violent content and imagery (physical abuse, violence against women and child-in-peril elements), derogatory language and slurs (mostly dealing with race, disabilities or sexual orientation), scenes depicting rape, incest and other sexual violence, other off-color references and humor, brief drug references (mostly narcotics), brief sexual contact (a fantasy sequence), and brief nudity (glimpses of photos and artwork). Running time: 109 minutes.
e-mail: jeff@desnews.com