5 For / 5 AGAINST: PRECIOUS

Life is hard. Life is short. Life is painful. Life is rich. Life is....Precious.

You know the story. Precious, set in Harlem in the late 1980s, the movie focuses on a teenager known as Claireece Precious Jones who endures unimaginable hardships in her young life. Abused by her mother, raped by her father, she grows up poor, angry, illiterate, fat, unloved and generally unnoticed. Precious fantasizes about having a light-skinned boyfriend and about herself as a thin, white girl.

5 FOR:

1. Great acting from the ensemble cast. 
2. Positive but realistic portrayal of a lesbian couple.
3. No typical hollywood ending.
4. Acts of physical violence and abuse are depicted in flashes and quickly replaced by Precious's rich, fun but all too short fantasies.
5. All characters have complex stories and contributions. I did not recognize Lenny Kravitz as Nurse John but I he was sexy as always. Mariah proves she can act, at least in this role.

5 AGAINST:

1. It is not a true story, unlike The Blind Side, so all of Precious's pain and suffering including becoming HIV positive, in 1987, becomes questionable (unbelievable) and weakens the impact.
2. Not as depressing as THE ROAD but a heavy (no pun intended) movie to live through. 
3. I saw the same anger in Mo’Nique's acting as I do in her standup and was expecting more or maybe something different because of all the reviews/interviews. Her last scene is her best.
4. You can wait to see on DVD.
5. No #5.