Friday, November 6, 2009

Long-Anticipated Sundance Winner Lives up to Buzz


By Kam Williams

November 3, 2009) - Precious is finally arriving in theaters after being the beneficiary of practically a year’s worth of buzz since winning a trio of trophies at Sundance, including that prestigious film festival’s equivalent of Best Picture. I’m happy to be the bearer of the good news that the movie more than lives up to the critical acclaim.

Based on the novel Push by Sapphire, that relentlessly-raw best seller has been faithfully adapted by Lee Daniels, the producer of Monster’s Ball, the flick for which Halle Berry won her Academy Award in 2002. There’s a good chance Daniels is about to repeat that historic feat, for he has coaxed an Oscar-quality performance out of comedienne-turned-actress Mo’Nique, who is riveting here as one of the most monstrous screen villains in memory.

Set in Harlem in 1987, this remarkably realistic tale of woe is narrated by Clareece “Precious” Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), an overweight and illiterate, 16 year-old still in junior high. She claims to enjoy math class because, instead of opening her textbook, she simply sits there fantasizing about sleeping with her teacher, Mr. Wicher (Ean Sheehy). However, as the film further unfolds, being behind a few grades turns out to be the least of the portly teen’s problems.

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