I read the link you provided, and I think the author got some of it wrong (of course, everyone is entitled to his or her opinion).

Yes, if, like me, you have read a lot of African-American fiction, then you may not be phased or moved by Precious. However, even the Bluest Eye is not as intense as this movie adaptation was (and the bluest eye is a really emotionally moving book). I have read a lot of books, and only a few of them come close to the emotions that Precious stirred.

I do agree that I wish Monique had played the role of the teacher, and that Paula Patton had played the role of Precious' mother---but would they have still been Oscar worthy? Was it more Oscar worthy because of Monique's appearance and a play on stereotypes? Again, I am not a fan of Halle winning the award for doing almost full frontal, when she played so many other roles far better, and showed less skin.

I don't find the film to be underwhelming, probably because I did not read the book, and many, if not most, book adaptations don't really take you through the emotions that the book does (a recent example would be The Lovely Bones---the movie didn't really do it justice emotion wise). I just think that the author missed some of the deeper relevance of the movie---like abuse in our communities, the crack epidemic in the late 80s, the surge of AIDS in our community at that time, and henceforth, etc.

I do agree with your exceptions, actually. I'm a minister in the "worst neighborhood in town" and although it's not a major metropolitan area, it's still a big enough city that we see horrible nightmares on a regular basis. I work with people of privilege, and I work with people that they "can't see."

The people of privilege that I work with see movies like Precious, have an emotional response (like a spectator, though) and then move on with their lives, feeling better about them, still unable to see the people under the shadow of their own church's steeple. I read that the director of Precious realized things about himself during the production of Precious--things he thought about darker skinned people of color, about poor people, about fat people. Precious CHANGED him. Movies like Precious should CHANGE people, not just be a spectator experience.

I haven't seen it and I don't think I will. From everything I've read and listening to the actors talk about it I think it would just make me very very upset. There are some movies/shows I just shouldn't watch. My anxiety is affected by what I watch/read/hear.

I just watched the movie last night, and I can understand why some people would not want to watch it. The basic story is of a girl who has been sexually abused her whole life, who has two children by her father while dealing with a physically and emotionally abusive mother, who struggles to overcome and transform via education the life that she came from. For some people, seeing any or all of those topics is not "entertainment" and may be triggers for emotions from their own personal lives.

Was the movie good? Was the acting good? Yes. Can I say I enjoyed the movie and want to see it again? No. For me, it brings up too much pain. I'm glad I watched it, but I can certainly understand why it might be too heavy for some people to watch.

I should mention that "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" is one of the few movies I've seen lately that features an overweight heroine without her weight being the ENTIRE focus of the movie.

The issue of her weight feels almost incidental. They do show her binging, at times of stress & as a source of comfort. But her binging is a symptom of something much bigger, and the movie makes that clear. It's almost a logical reaction to her situation. Precious has to reclaim her life & her voice & to assert herself as a presence in the world, as someone of worth, not someone who's rendered invisible by her size & the color of her skin. So, yeah, losing weight would be nice, but it's clear that it's not a woman's first order of business in the world.

Having been fat, thin & "normal: weight myself, I know about being an invisible woman, and being discounted because of my appearance -- though certainly not to the degree that Precious was (and **felt** she was). But just enough to relate.

And so can I say again that I loved this movie? Definitely one of my favorites from the past year.

I want Gabby to get other movie roles, too. I really hope this is not a one-shot deal. Mo'nique, I'm not worried about. That woman is well along in her career.

You made a really good point---the issue of Precious' weight is very real.....she is over 300lbs (in the story and maybe irl), her mother forces her to eat really fatty and unhealthy foods (one scene where the mom makes her eat with her while watching tv), she doesn't have much money, has to steal food, etc. People in her situation can't simply switch to veggies or go to their local health food store (giving the stats, there probably wasn't one anywhere near her neighborhood--which upsets me as I have lived in neighborhoods like that).

Personally, I really connected with Precious when she would daydream about the type of life she wanted.

I won't be seeing the movie. Since I had my baby two years ago I have been unable to watch movies that have any level of disappointment. I used to watch all kinds of movies but having a baby had made me overly emotional. That movie would be a stress induced movie for me and I wouldn't be able to watch the whole movie. I love Monique and hope Gabby gets a role I can handle but meantime that will be one I miss.

Too much drama!!!

I think Maury Povich is more along the lines of drama---but Precious? That is more of a heart wrenching, soul searching, glimpse into a way of life that was really true during that time period and sadly, even now.

I do understand those who may have similar family histories and would find the topic too emotional.

Is it thought provoking and does it make you aware of things outside of your reality? Yes, without a doubt.

I am trying to think of a movie it is similar to, but I can really only think of books it is similar to, where you are left gasping at the end of each chapter, torn, but wanting to read more.

heart wrenching, soul searching, glimpse into a way of life.... that's the very DEFINITION of drama

Drama
1 a : a composition in verse or prose intended to portray life or character or to tell a story usually involving conflicts and emotions through action and dialogue and typically designed for theatrical performance : play — compare closet drama b : a movie or television production with characteristics (as conflict) of a serious play; broadly : a play, movie, or television production with a serious tone or subject <a police drama>
2 : dramatic art, literature, or affairs
3 a : a state, situation, or series of events involving interesting or intense conflict of forces b : dramatic state, effect, or quality <the drama of the courtroom proceedings>



There's nothing wrong with a person setting emotional boundaries and limiting the amount of "drama" and the kind of "drama" they voluntarily sign up for. No matter how great a movie, or book, there are times in life when you have so much emotion in your real life, that you don't need to artificially induce more.

As I said, I'm not particularly comfortable seeing tear jerkers in the movie theater. I was raised to believe that intense emotional displays are extremely private. In the theater, it makes me very uncomfortable to not only watch the raw emotions on the screen, but to also be exposed to the raw emotions of many strangers while exposing my own, as well. I don't particularly enjoy crying in public, or watching strangers cry, either - and that's not a terrible thing.

I love dramatic literary novels, and because it's a private experience. I tend to feel MORE emotional attachment to the characters because of the very private nature of the novel. You vicariously become the characters, or at least a close personal friend, family member or enemy (depending on the book) of the characters.

What's weird, is I don't even mind crying in public if I'm reading a book (because the book creates a private little bubble for me. I'm in the world of the book, and separated from the "real" world while I'm emeshed in the book).

I'm sure some people are able to feel that way in a movie - a detachment from the people around them - but that doesn't work very well for me, unless the theater is very sparsely populated, and people are not seated too close (I hate when there are six people in a theater and someone decides they need to sit right in front or behind you).

My husband dislikes the theater environment much more than I do, so we tend to rent movies. We also do tend to watch more comedies (dark comedies, usually though), action-adventure and lighter drama, because the books we read are much deeper.

I'm far more likely to read Push than watch Precious, and probably will get more out of the book than the movie, but that's just because I enjoy, appreciate and prefer the one art form (written fiction) over the other.

i saw it. there was really good acting, great topics to bring to the forefront in a movie, i did like the main character was so overweight/obese, and i like how it was something out of the norm.

sadly i have to say i didn't like the movie overall. it was too much. there was just one bad thing on top of another bad thing, on top of another things...on top of another thing. i would be fine with this but there was nothing to balance the extreme bad things. it was almost too uncomfortable for me which i congratulate the movie for because i am rarely/never made to feel uncomfortable by movies.

i only say that the movie needed more balance if I wanted to enjoy it as a film. as it is I can't enjoy it but I can commend the realistic displays of some peoples lives and not being afraid to do it.

what im saying is i can appreciate it intellectually, but not aesthetically.

I read the book in preparation for seeing the movie. However, I haven't seen it yet. The book was definitely moving, and affected me. It strongly affected me, because even if you haven't had situations like the character, there were definitely some overarching themes that related to some situations I've been in. At the time, I felt that I wasn't quite prepared for the visual, so I didn't get around to seeing it in the theatre. Also, moview based on books usually tend to disappoint, so I didn't want to lose that. I did try to rent it Friday, but it was out so I do plan to see it soon.

Yea, I'd like to see it, too....mainly because there's been so much press about it.

I watched the movie with my brother one night. What really stuck with me at the end, was how she made these small decisions to change her life; however scared she was, or ill-at-ease with them in the beginning.

In the movie, the character of the teacher was not very well developed (I did not read the book) so that left me wanting a bit more of her story.

It was no fairy-tale ending, there was no million dollar jackpot, or street paved with gold. In the end it was a life worth living.

She finally experienced kindness, friendship, and family. Some scenes I could not watch. And some scenes made me giggle! Especially the ones in the hospital where she and her friends are acting like normal kids.

There are several scenes that were powerfully executed by the actors! I was, and still am in awe of Mo'nique and Gabby. It was genuine. (I had to point out to my brother after the movie that the social worker was Mariah Carey)

Some scenes were a bit disconnected; but all in all I thought it was a movie worth seeing. I'd have to say this is one of those flicks someone should watch at least once -- even if you have to cover your eyes a few times, like I did.

Howard Stern, no surprise, is extremely off-the-mark and offensive, as usual ...
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b170..._gabourey.html

You are so right!!

I do agree that I was not a fan of the teacher (though I love her as an actress, I was also a bit perterbed by the usual color issues---what if monique had been the teacher, and Paula had been the mother of Precious?).

There were some scenes that lacked the oompf, and others that made you shake to the core (the scene where they describe why they named the child the way they did---Mariah was on point!).

Howard Stern is howard, so, he is going to say things like that. He could have said things in a more positive way. I do think, realistically, that it may be hard for the actress to get movies where the characted can be any size, and not just plus size. Even in hollywood, actors and actresses of color have a difficult time of getting the roles that aren't so stereotypical, and actresses of plus size have a harder time as well.