This was absolutely fantastic. It's sure to be one of my favorite films of the year and proves to be a disturbing, honest and ultimately touching moviegoing experience. Although it may sound like it veers into convention, Precious is anything but predictable - and remains grounded with a gritty realism that makes it all the more devastating. The performances are all absolutely phenomenal and award-worthy. In the title role, Gabourey Sidibe delivers an unforgettable performance, injecting the character with so much depth that she is fascinating to watch onscreen. Precious may seem hard-edged and cruel to an outside spectator, but Sidibe allows us to see her plight, understand her and ultimately see the warmth that makes her a good person at heart. She's just someone that wants to be loved, and after years of abuse and rejection she has become disconnected with the world around her. Paula Patton is wonderful as well as Blu Rain, an endlessly supportive teacher who sees Precious's potential. The two actresses work well off one another and create a very believable dynamic - so much that a final sequence between them will surely not have a dry eye in the house. Mariah Carey is surprisingly very strong in a small role as a stern yet concerned social worker, and the rest of the supporting cast adds a lot to the proceedings. The real powerhouse here, however, is Mo'Nique - who will blow people away with her performance here. It's a dark, harrowing turn and the actress really transforms into the monstrous character with a tour-de-force portrayal - she is terrifying and menacing throughout and even her attempts at showing humanity still make her all the more evil. The film is interjected with fantasy sequences throughout that allow Precious to escape from her grim life of poverty, giving the audience a glimmer of hope to hold on to amidst the downbeat proceedings. And ultimately the film does end on an inspiring note, but holds on to the realistic edge that makes it so effective in the first place. The screenplay is dynamic, the direction impeccable and the performances are absolutely revelatory. This is a special film that cannot - and should not - be missed. A

tc, how was that monologue of Mo'Nique that everyone was raving about?

It's one of the most powerful scenes in the film. It occurs near the very end and you quickly stop seeing her character as inherently evil and instead as a very sick woman in need of some serious, serious help. She's endured almost as much emotional and physical abuse as her daughter, and doesn't know how to express her emotions because of it. Mo'Nique avoids making the audience sympathetic to her character though - which actually makes the scene pretty chilling, IMO. It's also an establishing moment for the Mariah Carey character as well as Precious herself - as the title character (who has hated Carey's character for most of the duration) realizes that she is more of a 'mother' to her than her actual mother will ever be. If and when Mo'Nique is nominated for anything come awards season, it will certainly be her showcase clip.

Bump.

Hopefully, this is a huge hit for Lionsgate. They could use it.

This better do well. I can't wait to see it again.

I believe it will do great. I don't see a total below 40 Million. It will surely be nominated for some awards this season, especially in the acting categories. I myself really want to see it.

This was mind blowing and will have you talking for days after you see it.

I went in knowing and feeling all the hype this movie has right now and thought for sure I would be let down. But again I was proven wrong, the hype is well deserved. This was not like watching a group of actors and actresses it was more like peering into a brutal reality show that probably plays out everyday in many homes. It's amazing in this day and age that you can find so many Oscar worthy performanaces from a group of new actors, comedians, tv personalities, Pop stars and extra's. It's as if Lee Daniels stripped them of everything we know and love about them, rolled them around in dirt and brought everyone back down to reality. You won't find any hint of glamour in this film except for when "Precious" has her wonderful dream sequences and even then Lee Daniels finds a way to insert a subtle bit of ugliness into them. This is also not the typical bad situation turned good at the end of the movie film. Everytime Daniels allows for us to have a little bit of hope for Precious we are punched back in the mouth and presented with another plight and are left wondering just how much does one person have to endure before they give up entirely. Moni'que is furious in her role and definately has a unbreakable lock on the "Best Supporting Actress" You will hate her 10x more than Denzel Washington's character from Training Day. Her ending monolgue may induce you to commit a random act of violence.

The one lasting image that sticks with me from this film was the passing of the red scarf scene with Precious and the little girl who bugs her throughout the movie. It's a reminder that there are numerous "Precious" kids out here and only they know the true pain and dispare of this world.

A+

Two F's by nameless cowards...

I'm sure they both have names. And you haven't even seen it.

yeah defend the jerks. lol I did see it. It's one of the best of the year.

Probably the same MF's who gave "This is It" an F, I really think we need to bring back the "Full view" voting process. I don't care if someone didn't like a film but you could at at least explain why or Proudly declare your bad grade in the face of everyone giving something a good grade.

And people should defend their good grade as well.

9/10 (A)

I want to see it again though. I was very, very tired when I saw it. I saw it at 1:45AM in NYC when I was there since 5:30AM and up since 7AM the morning before.

Precious is hard-hitting and disturbing, but in a lot of senses of the word, freeing. It certainly has a rough edge but also stirs us. Precious doesn't survive her circumstances because of cliches and pandering. She survives because she's strong-willed and manages to see worth in herself that she has been told she never has. The horrific events Precious experiences in her life come across as heartbreaking but not cartoonish, mostly because of how the actors play their characters. Gabby Sidibe is every bit the revelation she's been made out to be, in my opinion; it never feels like a performance, and that's a testament to Sidibe. Mo'Nique's performance as the monstrous Mary is incredibly powerful; I was particularly affected by the scene where she puts on the face of pleasantry with the social worker before becoming her normal self immediately after. Precious' supporting cast, including Paula Patton and (yes, she's very good in this) Mariah Carey, stay in the background but add considerable support to the film. Precious is a courageous film, one that will take a lot out of most viewers. But writer/director Lee Daniels has made something to be proud of, a movie that takes a look at the circumstances that plague so many unfortunate young people and how self-belief is the key to escaping from them. A

A very good film, but not as revelatory as many have suggested. I thought Half Nelson handled similar material far better.

The acting is definitely strong. Gabourey Sidibe is a superb find, delivering a convincing, full-blooded performance. Mo'Nique borders on cartoonish at certain points, but her final scene is devastating and I was impressed overall by the comedienne's dramatic chops. My favorite performance in the film is Paula Patton's, yet she unfortunately hasn't received nearly as much attention and praise as Mo'Nique. Patton oozes compassion, grace, and intelligence as the teacher who guides and inspires Precious.

I'm not sure exactly what to say. I almost feel I missed the boat on this one; what I saw was a solid, no-frills, superbly acted ghetto drama with a couple powerful scenes and a couple corny, Lifetime-caliber ones. Worth seeing, but I'm not as -blown away- as others.

B

Some great scenes, but overall lacking something. The story is powerful and could have been really gritty but I felt as though the tone changed too often between comedy and drama.

B-/C+

I thought it was fucking terrible.

I could only understand about half of what was said, and that half was boring and stupid and clichéd. Where were the revelatory performances and storyline? All I saw was a lot of ghetto talk and swearing and some frying pans thrown.

It also does nothing to dispel any black stereotypes. And I'm not just talking about the biggies of incest and AIDS and welfare. These "African-Americans" eat fried chicken and drink orange soda. Are you serious? It's like the Rob Corddry character from Harold and Kumar 2 wrote the screenplay.

It was a chore to watch, with no real payoff. What a horrible film.

Racist homophobe

Liked it a great deal and agree with a lot of what PassionateThug said, although I didn't like the editing much and found it make the scenes too jumpy on a few occasions. Mo'Nique was just good until the last scene, where her monologue elevated it to a whole other level and make her a worthy Oscar winner. On the other hand, Gabby Sidibe was excellent throughout and definitely deserves the nomination. The way she gradually opened herself up was portrayed wonderfully. A-.

PRECIOUS - 5/10 ( C )

I thought I was going to love this but outside of the acting I thought it was kind of a mess. Thank God it didn't win Best Picture! At the time of the Oscars it wouldn't have bothered me so much, but after seeing it I would have been upset. My co-worker and I watched it because we had wanted to see it in theaters together but it never came here. She was convinced she was going to LOVE this movie. Well, her and I both felt the same way about it. Very, very underwhelming. The fantasy sequences were annoying too. I honestly only found Mo'Nique great in her last scene and her character is such a caricature. Many moments in this did indeed feel like they were out of a Lifetime movie. They just added cussing and gritty camera work. I loved Paula Patton in it though. She was so charismatic and commanded my attention whenever she was on the screen.

Basically I'm with Gun on this one, but wouldn't rate it as high.

Precious is a poorly acted film as well as one of the worst edited ones ever made. Gabourey Sidibe mumbles the entire way through and even though some of the obstacles she goes through are very harsh, she doesn't add the kind of emotion needed for that character. Mo'Nique doesn't even begin to deserve her Best Supporting Actress wins as it seems that she is not only reciting word for word what's going on in the script with no creativity, but also just adds in the emotion needed for a particular scene and quickly lose it when its no longer needed. When she gets emotional near the end it obviously is forced out and you really don't care for her at all in the end. The editing though is horrific. There are too many scenes to be numbered where the scenes just cut without any sense of why the next scene is already occurring. Also uses of cross dissolve and other editing tools are not needed and mess up the feel of the film even more. Plus editing crew, please learn how to use green screens without it being obvious that you're using one! There are some emotional parts here and there but in the end all the film's wrongs makes any emotional part useless. All these nominations and wins are undeserved. 1/2*

Yeah, the editing was terrible. And I had a really hard time understanding what the hell Gabby was saying a lot of the time. If I were watching it at home by myself I'd have turned the subtitles on, but I was watching it with a friend and people usually think I'm weird if I want the subtitles on .

I almost always turn the subtitles on, unless it's the rare movie with consistently clear dialogue audio such as Up in the Air. Being 50% deaf is the reason I do that and given that Precious is hard for those with nearly 100% hearing to understand, I know I'd have the subtitles on from the start.