Backlash Against “Precious”?
For me, a possible backlash to Oscar-talked-up “Precious” comes from the way its ending seems to ratify motherhood as the happy choice for teenagers. But Oscar spotter Tom O’Neil sees another possibility: “If there’s a Precious backlash — ‘if,’ I say — it’s due to the oppressively ugly, emotionally sadistic vibe generated by Mo’Nique’s ‘mom from hell’ (pictured) character. It’s a movie about compassion and, at the end, a ray or two of light breaking through the clouds, but the cruelty we are obliged to endure (along with poor Gabby, of course) is quite awful. Mo’Nique sells malicious monsterhood like a champ. So if — IF — there’s a certain hesitancy or resistance to Precious, it’s that.”
