Precious: Successful, Divisive, and Oscar Bound

Published by Jeff Leins on: November 17th, 2009

The Lee Daniels-directed Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire has been making waves since its January 2009 debut.  At the Sundance Film Festival, the indie picked up the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize for best drama.  A week later, Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry attached their names as executive producers and Lionsgate Entertainment announced its distribution deal.

It also played the Toronto, New York, and Cannes Film Festivals (among others), picking up kudos along the way.

The festival darling became a lucrative box office record-breaker at the start of November, when the film grabbed headlines from Disney’s A Christmas Carol by posting the best per theater average in history ($104k on 18 screens).

While Lionsgate is executing an aggressive roll-out strategy, the vast majority of critics (90% on Rotten Tomatoes) are recommending the inner-city story, calling it “a triumph” and “inspirational.”  However, it seems a small section of negative reviewers have drawn a line in the sand.

The Playlist’s Drew Taylor acknowledged its acting merits, but dubbed it the “con job of the year.”  Slant Magazine’s Ed Gonzalez said it is “an impeccably acted piece of trash.”

Then there’s the always provocative Armond White of the New York Press, who takes scathing criticism to the next level in claiming Eddie Murphy’s kid comedies Meet Dave and Norbit are worthy of more appreciation.  He criticizes Winfrey and Perry for slapping their names on this “exhibition of ghetto tragedy” and calls Daniels a “pathology pimp” that knows how to turn a “racist trick.”  White’s lengthy excoriation peaks when comparing the demeaning qualities of African-American life in this “sociological horror show” to the controversial Birth of a Nation.

But even its detractors acknowledge the drama is Oscar bound.  There’s a general consensus among experts that Mo’Nique has solidified a “Best Supporting” slot and the Academy’s expansion of the “Best Picture” category leaves plenty of room for another weighty tear-jerker.  In fact, with many of the contenders scheduled for typical late December roll-outs, Precious is the early front-runner for the top statue.  We will know when the nominations are announced on February 2, 2010.