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Special Features
Audio commentary with director Lee Daniels
From Push to Precious
A "Precious" Ensemble
Oprah and Tyler: A Project of Passion
A Conversation with author Sapphire and director Lee Daniels
Deleted Scene: The Incest Survivor Meeting
Gabourey Sidibe audition
Reflections on Precious
From Push to Precious
A "Precious" Ensemble
Oprah and Tyler: A Project of Passion
A Conversation with author Sapphire and director Lee Daniels
Deleted Scene: The Incest Survivor Meeting
Gabourey Sidibe audition
Reflections on Precious
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Not every movie can survive the kind of hype--multiple awards at Sundance and other festivals, rapturous reviews, nominated for six Academy Awards and winner of two, for Best Supporting Actress and Best Screenplay--that greeted the release of Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire, but this extraordinary piece of work is more than up to the task. What's particularly notable about the film's success and acclaim is that in the beginning, at least, it presents one of the grimmest scenarios imaginable. The scene is Harlem, New York, in 1987. Teenager Clarisse Precious Jones (played by newcomer Gabourey Sibide in an absolutely fearless performance) is dirt poor, morbidly obese, semiliterate, and pregnant for the second time--both courtesy of her own father (the first baby was born with Down syndrome). Her home life is several levels below Hell, as her bitter, vengeful welfare mother, Mary (Mo'Nique, in a role that has generated legitimate Oscar® buzz), abuses her both physically and otherwise (telling Precious she should have aborted her is only the worst of a relentless flood of insults and vitriol). Yet somehow, the young woman still has hopes and dreams (depicted in a series of delightful fantasy sequences). She enrolls in an alternative school, where a young teacher (Paula Patton) takes her under her wing and even into her home, and visits a social worker (an excellent Mariah Carey; fellow pop star Lenny Kravitz is also effective as a male nurse) who further helps bring Precious out of the darkness. Incredibly, Precious's circumstances deteriorate even more before showing the slightest sign of improvement, and a climactic confrontation with her mother is one of the more wrenching scenes in recent memory. But against all odds, director Lee Daniels, screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher (working from Sapphire's novel), and especially the wondrously affecting Sibide have managed to make Precious a film that will lift the viewer far higher up that one might ever have thought possible. --Sam Graham
Product Description
Precious Jones, an inner-city high school girl, is illiterate, overweight, and pregnant…again. Naïve and abused, Precious responds to a glimmer of hope when a door is opened by an alternative-school teacher. She is faced with the choice to follow opportunity and test her own boundaries. Prepare for shock, revelation and celebration.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I meant to write a review of "Precious" even before I watched it. Lots of times, writing the review is more satisfying than watching the film. This is harder. I felt my heart constrict in the first scene of Precious. My eyes and temple began to throb. I could scarcely catch my breath the rest of the way through the film. "Life" requires too much of us sometimes. Sometimes even a simulation of Life requires too much.
Improbable as it may seem, coming from a retired classical musician like me, who has lived fairly well most of his life, a lot of the misery portrayed in Precious is horribly familiar and real. The poverty and brutishness and the haplessness of both takers and givers of "welfare" are not exaggerated here. Yeah, things seldom move that quickly or that much in 'real time', and yeah, Precious's classmates evolve from intolerable to empathetic as if by miracle. But the story line isn't very central to this film, or rather to my response to this film, which is all Sorrow for all of us, from Precious to Queen Elizabeth II. Life hurts too much. The rosy glow of Hope in "Precious", which some critics have applauded and some derided, is more light than warmth. There really isn't much chance for that girl-woman in the film, except for the one-in-sixty-million chance that she'll be discovered by a film maker.
"Precious" had a hundred times the impact on me that "The Hurt Locker" had. But I can't sit in judgment on the "art" of it as cinema. For sure, I won't forget it as quickly as I do most films.
Improbable as it may seem, coming from a retired classical musician like me, who has lived fairly well most of his life, a lot of the misery portrayed in Precious is horribly familiar and real. The poverty and brutishness and the haplessness of both takers and givers of "welfare" are not exaggerated here. Yeah, things seldom move that quickly or that much in 'real time', and yeah, Precious's classmates evolve from intolerable to empathetic as if by miracle. But the story line isn't very central to this film, or rather to my response to this film, which is all Sorrow for all of us, from Precious to Queen Elizabeth II. Life hurts too much. The rosy glow of Hope in "Precious", which some critics have applauded and some derided, is more light than warmth. There really isn't much chance for that girl-woman in the film, except for the one-in-sixty-million chance that she'll be discovered by a film maker.
"Precious" had a hundred times the impact on me that "The Hurt Locker" had. But I can't sit in judgment on the "art" of it as cinema. For sure, I won't forget it as quickly as I do most films.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
Hype is often undeserved, especially when it comes to films. Add to the fact that PRECIOUS had Oprah attached to it and you might back off even further. But there's no need. This film, for all intents and purposes, is a phenomenon that deserves your attention.
Garnering two Academy Award wins and multiple, smaller award show prizes, Precious is ...well ...precious. The story could've gotten dark and downright depressing. I mean, we're talking about an abused, overweight teenager who's now into her second pregnancy (incestuous pregnancy, I might add), and one can see where you could surmise this to be a gloom-and-doom movie. It isn't. It's hopeful and surprisingly upbeat. And it's well-acted by a veritable group of unknowns.
In the prime role of Precious we have Gabby Sidibe, a first time wannabe actress who serendipitously found the casting location and locked in the role. She was the perfect choice, and gave off a sense of foreboding and hope throughout the film's length. Her flattened emotional state at home, where she's abused by her mother, contrasts perfectly with her life outside where she's trying to better herself against tremendous odds.
But if Gabby was perfect, the woman who played Mary (her Mother) was ...beyond perfection. Mo'Nique (Beerfest) pulls in the performance of a lifetime. Uneducated, uninspired, confused, and ill-equipped to deal with just about anything, Mo'Nique played the part so beastfully that it was sometimes hard to watch what she might do next. She was the perfect manipulator.
Director Lee Daniels is one of those people who aren't afraid to steer directly into the path of controversy, and does so here with an able hand. You may have heard of his other successes; things like Monster's Ball and The Woodsman. No? Then I highly recommend you check them out if you enjoyed Precious.
I would warn parents, though, that Precious has a very appropriate R rating attached. The scenes of incest (although short-lived) are vivid, and there's liberal use of violence against infants and teens, as well as language that'd make a p0rn-star blush. But all of it is done in an appropriate context, never for shock value.
Precious deserves your attention. Not because it won an award, or because Oprah's attached to it. It deserves to be watched because there are too many kids out there going through this very same ordeal in social silence. Shame, despair, and anger eat at these kids. It's a miracle any of them come out the other side in a functional manner. Which is why Precious will inspire you.
Garnering two Academy Award wins and multiple, smaller award show prizes, Precious is ...well ...precious. The story could've gotten dark and downright depressing. I mean, we're talking about an abused, overweight teenager who's now into her second pregnancy (incestuous pregnancy, I might add), and one can see where you could surmise this to be a gloom-and-doom movie. It isn't. It's hopeful and surprisingly upbeat. And it's well-acted by a veritable group of unknowns.
In the prime role of Precious we have Gabby Sidibe, a first time wannabe actress who serendipitously found the casting location and locked in the role. She was the perfect choice, and gave off a sense of foreboding and hope throughout the film's length. Her flattened emotional state at home, where she's abused by her mother, contrasts perfectly with her life outside where she's trying to better herself against tremendous odds.
But if Gabby was perfect, the woman who played Mary (her Mother) was ...beyond perfection. Mo'Nique (Beerfest) pulls in the performance of a lifetime. Uneducated, uninspired, confused, and ill-equipped to deal with just about anything, Mo'Nique played the part so beastfully that it was sometimes hard to watch what she might do next. She was the perfect manipulator.
Director Lee Daniels is one of those people who aren't afraid to steer directly into the path of controversy, and does so here with an able hand. You may have heard of his other successes; things like Monster's Ball and The Woodsman. No? Then I highly recommend you check them out if you enjoyed Precious.
I would warn parents, though, that Precious has a very appropriate R rating attached. The scenes of incest (although short-lived) are vivid, and there's liberal use of violence against infants and teens, as well as language that'd make a p0rn-star blush. But all of it is done in an appropriate context, never for shock value.
Precious deserves your attention. Not because it won an award, or because Oprah's attached to it. It deserves to be watched because there are too many kids out there going through this very same ordeal in social silence. Shame, despair, and anger eat at these kids. It's a miracle any of them come out the other side in a functional manner. Which is why Precious will inspire you.
12 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By Christina
Format:DVD
It's hard to know what to say about this movie and this review isn't going to be some in-depth analysis. There are plenty on those all over the web from every Doctor So-and-So you can imagine; this is just the thoughts of a common, garden variety movie-watcher.
The first thing that struck me about Precious was how well everyone played their role, even Mariah, though to be fair her part is barely more than sitting and nodding now and then, but she sat and nodded very believably!
The second thing I noticed was that the movie seemed to be incredibly racist and as a white American I thought, "Maybe I've just been programmed to think that everything is racist because we live in an overly sensitive society where if you say anything about anyone who isn't white, you're a racist." So I don't know. I'll try to explain.
*All the Other Reviews Have Already Spoiled the Entire Plot, So These Aren't Really Spoilers, but I'll Warn You Anyway*
FIrstly, I found it very odd that everyone in the movie seemed to have a decidedly "ho-hum" attitude towards the fact that Precious had two kids by her HIV-positive father. Her teacher, guidance counselor, whoever were all completely non-plussed by this news that should have been stomach-churning. It's like the movie was trying to say that it's completely normal and boring for poor black kids to be having their father's AIDS babies. Really? I don't know about that message...
And how many "stereotypically poor black" problems did Precious have to have? Did she really have to be on welfare, illiterate, a failure at school, pregnant, fat, the victim of child abuse as well as sexual abuse AND HIV-positive? Man! Really? They couldn't have picked, like, three? Too bad there wasn't time in the movie for her to join a gang and go to prison! Maybe in the sequel. All I'm saying is that even though I am white, I grew up in a very poor, predominantly black part of town and none of the kids I went to school with (most of whom were black) had half of the problems this movie suggests are normal for all poor black people. Certainly all of them could read.
And it is also somewhat interesting to note that all of the light-skinned, thin characters in the movie are intelligent, well-spoken, compassionate and educated while all the frumpy, dark-skinned characters are stupid, illiterate, helpless, full of self-loathing and completely broken in every conceivable way, not to mention only able to be saved by the light-skinned, thin characters who have everything together in their lives.
Is the film racist? I don't know. I'm not a thinker; I'm just a watcher. But I will say that I am not the type of person who sees racism in everything. I think the whole race thing in this country is completely blown way out of proportion, but this movie? It's hard to look at it and not see a lot of strange stuff going on. And I really cringe when I see people saying, "This movie is so true!" There's no way any of this can be "so true" for more than just the smallest, tiniest percentage of the US population. Like probably less than .0000001 percent of the US population has Precious' life and the way the movie brazenly hints that her life is a wide-spread epidemic that most if not all black people would identify with is not good, in my opinion.
And I do think the movie is really bad for all the racist people who are out there and who have already latched onto this as their proof that this is "the way inner-city black people really are". This in no way should be used as a guidebook to how any group of people "really is". Even though, of course I guess a lot of black people probably think that Napoleon Dynamite is how most white people really are. So it balances out, I guess. Ha.
The first thing that struck me about Precious was how well everyone played their role, even Mariah, though to be fair her part is barely more than sitting and nodding now and then, but she sat and nodded very believably!
The second thing I noticed was that the movie seemed to be incredibly racist and as a white American I thought, "Maybe I've just been programmed to think that everything is racist because we live in an overly sensitive society where if you say anything about anyone who isn't white, you're a racist." So I don't know. I'll try to explain.
*All the Other Reviews Have Already Spoiled the Entire Plot, So These Aren't Really Spoilers, but I'll Warn You Anyway*
FIrstly, I found it very odd that everyone in the movie seemed to have a decidedly "ho-hum" attitude towards the fact that Precious had two kids by her HIV-positive father. Her teacher, guidance counselor, whoever were all completely non-plussed by this news that should have been stomach-churning. It's like the movie was trying to say that it's completely normal and boring for poor black kids to be having their father's AIDS babies. Really? I don't know about that message...
And how many "stereotypically poor black" problems did Precious have to have? Did she really have to be on welfare, illiterate, a failure at school, pregnant, fat, the victim of child abuse as well as sexual abuse AND HIV-positive? Man! Really? They couldn't have picked, like, three? Too bad there wasn't time in the movie for her to join a gang and go to prison! Maybe in the sequel. All I'm saying is that even though I am white, I grew up in a very poor, predominantly black part of town and none of the kids I went to school with (most of whom were black) had half of the problems this movie suggests are normal for all poor black people. Certainly all of them could read.
And it is also somewhat interesting to note that all of the light-skinned, thin characters in the movie are intelligent, well-spoken, compassionate and educated while all the frumpy, dark-skinned characters are stupid, illiterate, helpless, full of self-loathing and completely broken in every conceivable way, not to mention only able to be saved by the light-skinned, thin characters who have everything together in their lives.
Is the film racist? I don't know. I'm not a thinker; I'm just a watcher. But I will say that I am not the type of person who sees racism in everything. I think the whole race thing in this country is completely blown way out of proportion, but this movie? It's hard to look at it and not see a lot of strange stuff going on. And I really cringe when I see people saying, "This movie is so true!" There's no way any of this can be "so true" for more than just the smallest, tiniest percentage of the US population. Like probably less than .0000001 percent of the US population has Precious' life and the way the movie brazenly hints that her life is a wide-spread epidemic that most if not all black people would identify with is not good, in my opinion.
And I do think the movie is really bad for all the racist people who are out there and who have already latched onto this as their proof that this is "the way inner-city black people really are". This in no way should be used as a guidebook to how any group of people "really is". Even though, of course I guess a lot of black people probably think that Napoleon Dynamite is how most white people really are. So it balances out, I guess. Ha.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great movie, but defective DVD
I liked the movie, but was disappointed in the DVD itself. It is defective. I saw most of the movie, and then it stopped on a frame and wouldn't continue. Read more
Published 2 hours ago by Dana M. Gatewood
5.0 out of 5 stars
Precious
I found this movie Good however I found that it took watching it a second time to really find it a Excellent Movie! It is a very heart touching story that is so honest and true! Read more
Published 1 day ago by Deborah C
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing
This film was amazing from begging to end. From the unrecognizable Mariah Carey as a social worker and Lenny Kravitz as a nurse, to the debut of Gabourey Sidibe in the lead role... Read more
Published 3 days ago by JH
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent movie! I would recommend others watch this movie.
I loved this movie because it had superb acting, it kept my interest, it educated me about how others live, this movie was very affordable, and it had an excellent ending.
Published 3 days ago by Sher
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Movie TERRIBLE on Amazon Prime Movie Service
This is a terrific movie. Quite moving. I had to watch it for a grad school project. Since it was not available on instant view for Netflix, I decided to exercise my Amazon Prime... Read more
Published 7 days ago by jack23011
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful
Very amazing story with a realistic ending. You love her until the last scene and you wish you could help her feel better. Tears were shed, just as a warning
Published 22 days ago by Katia Belikova
5.0 out of 5 stars
WHOA!!!!
I am a Monique fan through and though..but OMG this woman showed she is more then just a funny chick that can through cut downs...This movie is excellent!!!! Read more
Published 24 days ago by G. Polus
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Movie
Rented this movie for my girlfriend. It was a good movie overall. Precious gets hit with the worst that the inner city has to offer. Definitely worthy of a Golden Globe.
Published 1 month ago by Guillermo E. Cubero Jr.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Precious a great movie
I choose to rate this movie this high because it is an example of some woe's that many don't recognize in black family life. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Myron Douglas
5.0 out of 5 stars
This happens more than we admit.....
It's so gut wrenching to think that this happens everyday, all over the world....it crosses all lines of race, status, religion..... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Amanda
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