Rocker Lenny Kravitz makes his debut as a film star in this indie drama based on the beloved novel PUSH. Clareece "Precious" Jones (Gabourey "Gabbie" Sidibe) is a Harlem teen who is pregnant with her second child. But with the help of a teacher (Paula Patton) and a nurse (Kravitz), Precious may be able to navigate the way to a new life. PUSH also stars Mo'nique as Precious's mother.
3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Sidibe's Precious is so startlingly truthful and so subtle she seems to have stepped out of documentary to make her appearance her. Totally believable performances are also turned in by both Lenny Kravitz and Mariah Carey..."
Box Office "[A] raw and riveting human drama....Electrifying."
Rolling Stone "PRECIOUS works. Daniels and Fletcher don't spare the sorrow, but neither do they neglect moments of joy, hope, or belonging." -- Grade: B
A.V. Club 4 stars out of 4 -- "[A] great American film....Sibide is heartbreaking as Precious..."
Chicago Sun-Times 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Sibide's PRECIOUS is so startlingly truthful and so subtle she seems to have stepped out of a documentary to make her appearance here. Totally believable performances are also turned in by both Lenny Kravitz and Mariah Carey..."
Box Office "Nothing quite prepares you for the rough-cut diamond that is PRECIOUS....Shockingly raw, surprisingly irreverent and absolutely unforgettable..."
Los Angeles Times "The dialogue, by screenwriter Damien Paul, can be refreshingly honest....Remarkable performances drive home the film's inspiring message."
USA Today "[A] shockingly beautiful film....This is a fine movie, and a deep one."
Wall Street Journal "While Mo'Nique's performance is the barnburner, it is Sibide and her classmates who resonate, who inhabit a world outside of themselves..."
Movieline "[The film] surely qualifies as the most painful, poetic and improbably beautiful film of the year....Fleet, assured and lyrical."
Washington Post "PRECIOUS captures how a lost girl rouses herself from the dead....It's a potent and moving experience because by the end you feel like you've witnessed nothing less than the birth of a soul." -- Grade: A
Entertainment Weekly 3.5 stars out of 4 -- "There is one word for Mo'Nique: dynamite. She tears up the screen and then, in a climactic scene with Precious and Ms. Weiss, tears at your heart."
Rolling Stone Included in Entertainment Weekly's "The Best Films Of The Year" -- "Mo'Nique gives a performance that is harrowing in its venom and despair."
Entertainment Weekly Included in Los Angeles Times's "Best Films Of 2009" -- "[The performances] are as fearless as they are fierce."
Los Angeles Times Ranked #1 in Rolling Stone's "The 10 Best Movies Of 2009" -- "[O]ne of a kind."
Rolling Stone 5 stars out of 5 -- "[L]ittle can prepare you for its raw power, and a heart-rending journey to self-acceptance and hope."
Empire