Cadillac-prisen stemmes fram av folket og ble i fjor tildelt Oscar-vinneren “Slumdog Millionaire.”

“Precious” er basert på Sapphire-romanen “Push” og er produsert av Oprah Winfrey. Debutanten Gabourey Sidibe innehar hovedrollen.

Filmen forteller historien om tenåringen Precious i Harlem i New York som ikke kan lese og skrive og venter sitt andre barn.
Rockestjernen Lenny Kravitz har også en rolle i filmen, der også Mariah Carey er med.
– Filmen er for alle som har sett seg i speilet og følt seg usikre på personen som ser tilbake, sier regissør Lee Daniels ifølge BBC.

Mer fra wiki:

Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Lee Daniels
Produced by	Lee Daniels Oprah Winfrey Tyler Perry Sarah Siegel-Magness Gary Magness
Written by	Novel: Sapphire Screenplay: Geoffrey Fletcher
Starring	Gabourey Sidibe Mo’Nique Paula Patton Mariah Carey
Music by	Mario Grigorov
Cinematography	Andrew Dunn
Editing by	Joe Klotz
Studio	Lee Daniels Entertainment Smokewood Entertainment Group Harpo Productions 34th Street Films
Distributed by	Lions Gate Entertainment
Release date(s)	November 6, 2009
Running time	109 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$10,000,000
Gross revenue	$21,403,000 [1]

Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire is a 2009 American drama/thriller film directed by Lee Daniels. Precious is a film adaption of the award-winning 1996 novel Push: A Novel by Sapphire. The film’s cast, which primarily consist of females, features Gabourey Sidibe as the title character, and Mariah Carey, Mo’Nique and Paula Patton in supporting roles. The film marks the acting debuts of Sidibe and Kravitz.

The film, without a distributor, premiered to praise at both the 2009 Sundance Film Festival as Push: Based On The Novel By Sapphire,^[2][3] where it won the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize for best drama, as well as a Special Jury Prize for supporting actress Mo’Nique,^[4] and received praise at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. After the film’s screening at Sundance, in February 2009, Tyler Perry announced that he and Oprah Winfrey would be providing promotional assistance to the film and helped get the film released through Lions Gate Entertainment. The film’s title was changed multiple times; notably from Precious to, its current titling, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire to avoid anyone confusing it with the 2009 action film Push.^[5]

Lions Gate released the film only in North America on November 6, 2009 in limited release, and gave the film a wider release November 20. The film was released to mainly positive reviews from critics; the film’s cast’s acting and the film’s plot and message were generally praised, while criticism mainly consisted of the film’s content sending a negative message, with some reviewers feeling that the film was a disappointment compared to the film’s anticipation. In the film’s opening weekend, in limited release, it grossed $1.8 million, placing it at 12 place at the box office and in the film’s third weekend, with a wider release, it made an estimated $11 million. The film, as of November 21, 2009, has made an estimated $21 million.

Contents [hide] 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production and distribution 4 Release 4.1 Strategy 4.2 Box office 5 Reception 5.1 Critical Reception 5.2 Awards and nominations 6 Music 6.1 Score 6.2 Soundtrack 7 References 8 External links

Plot

In 1987, obese, illiterate 16-year-old Claireece “Precious” Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) lives in the New York City neighborhood of Harlem with her dysfunctional family; she has been impregnated twice by her father, Carl, and suffers constant physical and mental abuse from her unemployed mother, Mary (Mo’Nique). The family resides in a Section 8 tenement and subsists on welfare. Her first child, known only as “Mongo” (short for “Mongoloid”), has Down’s Syndrome and is being cared for by Precious’s grandmother. After Precious becomes pregnant for the second time, she is suspended from school but her high school principal, Mrs. Lichtenstein (Nealla Gordon), arranges to have her attend an alternative school, which she hopes can help Precious change her life’s direction.^[6]

Precious fights to find a way out of her traumatic daily existence through imagination and fantasy. While she is being raped by her father, she looks at the ceiling and imagines herself in a music video shoot; in the video, she is the superstar and the focus of attention. While looking in photo albums, she imagines the pictures talking to her. When she looks in the mirror, she sees a pretty, white, thin, blonde girl. In her mind there is another world, one in which, unlike her real one, she is loved and appreciated.

Inspired by her new teacher, Precious begins learning to read. She gives birth to her second child and names him Abdul. After Precious’s mother deliberately drops three-day-old Abdul and beats Precious, she leaves her home. Precious finds new confidence with the help of her teacher, and begins raising her son in a half-way house while she continues to improve academically. However, her mother comes back into her life to inform Precious that her father has died of AIDS. Later, Precious finds out that she is HIV positive, but Abdul is not. The film ends with Precious still resolved to improve for herself and for her children. She severs ties with her family and makes plans to complete a General Educational Development test.

Cast

• Gabourey Sidibe as Claireece “Precious” Jones
• Mo’Nique as Mary Lee Johnston
• Paula Patton as Ms. Blu Rain
• Mariah Carey as Mrs. Weiss
• Lenny Kravitz as Nurse John McFadden
• Sherri Shepherd as Cornrows
• Nealla Gordon as Mrs. Lichtenstein
• Stephanie Andujar as Rita
• Chyna Layne as Rhonda
• Amina Robinson as Jermaine Hicks
• Xosha Roquemore as Jo Ann
• Angelic Zambrana as Consuelo
• Grace Hightower as Social Worker
• Kimberly Russell as Katherine
• Bill Sage as Mr. Wicher
• Sapphire as Day Care Woman

Daniels, who is known for his inventive casting,^[7] began casting for the film in September 2008. Sidibe was cast as Clareece “Precious” Jones, “an overweight, illiterate African-American teen in Harlem, just as she’s about to give birth to her second child. Jones is accepted into an alternative school”.^[6] Sidibe was awarded the role of Precious over 300 young girls who had auditioned in casting calls around the country.^[6] At the time of casting, Sidibe was an untrained actress, with no acting experience.^[8] In October 2008, Andujar, 23, was cast as Rita, a 16-year-old former heroin addict and prostitute, who attends the same alternative school in Harlem as Precious and later befriends her.^[9] Andujar stated that while auditioning for her character, Daniels had been so impressed that he interrupted her during her dialogue and stated, “I want you in my movie.”^[9]

Helen Mirren was originally cast as Mrs. Weiss, Precious’s social worker who supports her during her journey. Mirren dropped out before production started for unspecified reasons, and Mariah Carey, whose acting experience is limited, was then cast in the role.^[10] In September 2008,^[11][12] Carey described her character as being a “not really a likable person, but she does bring this to the surface” and referred to her character as being “the answer.”^[12][13] Carey and Daniels had previously worked together on Tennessee.^[6] Daniels stated that he’d cast Carey because he was “so impressed” by her performance in Tennessee.^[11] The author of the novel on which the film is based makes a cameo appearance as a woman at a day care center near the end of the film.

Patton was cast as Ms. Blu Rain, Precious’ middle school teacher.^[14] Patton stated that her character teaches Precious to “learn and read and write from the very beginnings, and pushes her to believe in herself, and pushes her to realize that anything is possible.”^[14] Mo’Nique was cast as Mary Lee Johnston, Precious’ sadistic mother, who’s verbally and physically abusive.^[8] Mo’Nique and Daniels had previous worked together on the 2005 film Shadowboxer.^[10] Sage was cast as Mr. Wicher. Sage had co-starred with Carey and previously worked with Daniels on Tennessee. Patton was cast as Ms. Rain, Precious’ teacher who helps her find an alternative path in life.^[6] Kravitz was cast as John McFadden; a nurse who shows kindness to Precious.^[6][11] This film is Kravitz’s feature film acting debut.^[6]

Production and distribution

In September, 2008, Carey confirmed that the film’s writer, Barsocchini, was still working on the script, and that the script was still in its early stages.^[11] The film is directed by Lee Daniels and co-produced by Daniels’ company, Lee Daniels Entertainment, and Smokewood Entertainment Group, which is owned by Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness; the two production companies also collaborated on Tennessee.^[15] Due to the mature subject matter of the film, it was rated “R” by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) in the United States because the film’s content contains “child abuse including sexual assault, and pervasive language.”^[16]

Precious was picked up for distribution by Lionsgate and received promotional assistance from Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions and Tyler Perry’s 34th Street Films.^[17] Precious marks the first theatrical film to be affiliated with Perry’s 34th Street Films, in the companies history.^[18] The film was released nationwide in North America on November 6, 2009.^[19] In February 2009, both Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company filed lawsuits contesting ownership of the rights to release the film.^[20]

Release

Strategy

Precious was screened during the 2009 25th Sundance Film Festival from January 15, 2009 until January 25 in Park City, Utah.^[21] Precious appeared in competition at the 2009 62nd Cannes Film Festival in May, 2009.^[22] Precious was Daniels’ third film to enter competition at the festival, the first being Monster’s Ball in 2001 and the second being The Woodsman in 2004. Both film’s contained controversial material.^[7] At Cannes, the film received a fifteen minute standing ovation from the audience after the film was screened.^[7] Daniels stated that, at first he was “embarrassed” to show Precious at Cannes because he didn’t want “to exploit black people” and wasn’t sure if he “wanted white French people to see our world.”^[7] After the great success at the film’s screenings at Sundance, reporters took note that the film could mirror the success of other films that had been screened and praised at the festival.^[23][18] James S. Synder, compared Precious’s success at Sundance to that of The Wrestler (2008) and Slumdog Millionaire (2008); both films later were nominated for multiple Academy Awards‘.^[18]

Winfrey, a producer of the film, used her status as both a celebrity and a media personality to give the film a “high-profile promotional push”.^[24][18] At a press conference, with the film’s cast, regarding the film, Winfrey announced her intention to lead a promotional campaign on behalf of Precious along with her other various platforms, hoping to be able to “bring in different audiences” by promoting the film on her show, in her magazine and on her satellite-radio channel.^[18] Katie Walmsley of CNN, stated, based on the film’s positive reception at the Toronto Film Festival, that the film “at the very least, [because of] the [Toronto] award will guarantee “Precious” substantial distribution, as well as exposure for two-time director Daniels.”^[23] The trailer for Precious was shown during previews for, the film’s producer Perry’s film I Can Do Bad All By Myself in September 2009.^[25]

Box office

The film was given a limited-theatre release and is scheduled to be released only in North America. During the opening weekend release of Precious, the film was only shown on 18 screens nationwide yet earned over $1,872,458, averaging over $104,000 per theater. This placed the film twelfth place at the box office.^[26][19] The film saw a 213.7% increase in its second week of release, earning $5,874,628 at 174 theatres, with a per-theatre average of $33,762. The film moved up from twelfth to third place in box office grosses for the week, slightly edging out The Men Who Stare at Goats, which was released widely yet made only $5,861,753.^[19] On November 20, 2009, the film received a wider release, playing at 629 theater’s since Novemeber 20, 2009; tripling the number of theatre showing the film.^[19] Studio estimates predicted that during the film’s third week of release (first in wide release) that the film was expected to take sixth place at the box office with, an 87.4% increase from the previous week, with $11,008,000.^[27]

Based on the films opening weekend, it currently holds the record as the highest grossing film that opened on fewer than 100 theaters, and also holds the record for the highest grossing average per screen for films shown in fewer than 50 theaters.^[28] Brandon Grey, of Box Office Mojo described Precious as having had a “robust expansion” in its second week of release, and confirmed that the film holds the record for having the second-highest grossing weekend for a movie playing at fewer than 200 sites, behind only Paranormal Activity, which was released several weeks earlier.^[29] The film had grossed over $9.6 million in under two weeks of release;^[30] and by November 18 2009, thirteen days after the film’s initial release, the film had recouped its $10 million budget by grossing $13.9 million.^[30]

Reception

Critical Reception

The film currently has a 91% “Fresh” rating at Rotten Tomatoes based on 122 professional reviews^[31] and “generally favorable” reviews on Metacritic, with a score of 78, based on 27 reviews.^[32] John Anderson, of Variety, said “to simply call it harrowing or unsparing doesn’t quite cut it” having felt that the film is “courageous and uncompromising, a shaken cocktail of debasement and elation, despair and hope.”^[33] Anderson cited Carey’s performance as “pitch perfect” and that her role as Ms. Wiess is disarming.”^[33] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly, praised Carey’s performance, describing it as having been “an authentically deglammed compassion” and praised the film for ‘capturing’ “how a lost girl rouses herself from the dead” and for Daniels’ showing “unflinching courage as a filmmaker by going this deep into the pathologies that may still linger in the closets of some impoverished inner-city lives.”^[34] Gleiberman described the film as being a movie “that makes you think, ‘There but for the grace of God go I.’ [...] It’s a potent and moving experience, because by the end you feel you’ve witnessed nothing less than the birth of a soul” and felt that the “final scene of revelation” between Sidibe and Mo’Niques characters was strong enough to be able to leave viewers “tearful, shaken, [and] dazed with pity and terror.”^[34]

Roger Ebert, of the Chicago Sun-Times, praised Mo’Nique and Sidibe’s performances.^[35] Ebert described Mo’Nique’s performance as being “frighteningly convincing” and felt that “the film is a tribute to Sidibe’s ability to engage our empathy” because she “completely creates the Precious character.” He also noted that Carey and Patton “are equal with Sidibe in screen impact”.^[35] Ebert also praised Daniels because he didn’t cast the actors for their names, because “he was able to see beneath the surface and trust that they had within the emotional resources to play these women, and he was right.”^[35] Betsey Sharkey, of the Los Angeles Times describes the film as being a “rough-cut diamond… [A] rare blend of pure entertainment and dark social commentary, it is a shockingly raw, surprisingly irreverent and absolutely unforgettable story.”^[36] Claudia Puig, of USA Today says that while there are “melodramatic moments” in the film, the cast gives “remarkable performances” to show the audiences the film’s “inspiring message.”^[37]

Peter Travas, of RollingStone cited Mo’Nique’s performance as being “dynamite” and felt that during the climactic scene with Sidibe and Carey’s characters, that her performance is be able to bring “tears at your heart.”^[38] Mary Pols, of Time praised the film’s sequences for being able to show the audience a “joyous Wizard of Oz energy” that is able to “open the door into Precious’ mind in a way even [the author] Sapphire couldn’t.”^[39] Pols felt that, while not implying that the film has “a lack of compelling emotional material” but that the film’s “few weak moments” are the “ones that dovetail with typical inspirational stories.”^[39] Marshall Fine, of Huffington Post, referred to the film as being “almost a deal-breaker for many filmgoers”.^[40] Fine praised the film as being “a film that doesn’t shy away from the depths to which human beings can sink, but it also shows the strength and resilience of which we are capable, even at our lowest moments.”^[40] Scott Mendelson, also of the Huffington Post, felt that when you put the “glaring issues aside,” the film “still works as a potent character study and a glimpse inside a world we’d rather pretend does not exist in America.” But while film “succeeds as a powerful acting treat and a potent character study, there are some major narrative issues that prevent the film from being an accidental masterpiece.”^[41] Mendelson described the film as being “an acting powerhouse” based on its many emotional themes.^[41]

While the film’s critical reception consisted mostly of praise, the film has also received negative feedback. In two separate articles, The New York Times cited Armond White, critic for The New York Press as initiating the most powerful negative review. White compared the film to The Birth of A Nation as “demeaning the idea of black American life” and as the “con job of the year.” Courtland Milloy, of The Washington Post said Precious was “a film of prurient interest that has about as much redeeming social value as a porn flick.”^[42] David Edelstein, of New York Magazine, stated that while the film has “elements” that are “powerful and shocking”, he felt the movie was “programmed” and that the film had “its own study guide.”^[43] Keith Uhlich, of Time Out New York, felt that the film didn’t live-up to its “long hype”, and felt that it was “bewildering” to discover the film’s praise at the Sundance Film Festival because Uhlich characterized the film as having “shrug-worthiness.”^[44] Dana Stevens of Slate felt that the film’s “eagerness” to “drag” the audience “through the lower depths of human experience” leaves the audience with no space to be able to come to their own “conclusions.”^[45] Stevens noted that while the film is about improvement and self-actualization, “it wields an awfully large cudgel.”^[45]

Awards and nominations

The film, has received eight nominations and has won six awards. The film has been nominated in categories ranging from the performance of the cast to the film’s direction to the film itself. Daniels won the People’s Choice Award, an award given by audience members at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival for his directing for the film.^[46][47][48] The film was also a 2008 nominee in the Golden Trailer Awards in the category of “Best Trailer”.^[2][3][4] The cast and crew won all three of their three nominations at the Sundance Film Festival,^[49] Daniels was the recipent of the “Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic,” and the Audience Award. Mo’Nique received the “Special Jury Prize” for her acting.^[4] Daniels won both awards for which he was nominated at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, in the categories of “TVE Otra Mirada Award” and “Audience Award,” and was nominated in the category of “Bronze Horse” at the Stockholm Film Festival.^[4]

Award	Category	Nominee	Result
2008 Golden Trailer Awards	Best Trailer	Precious	Nominated
2009 Sundance Film Festival	Audience Award	Lee Daniels	Won
	Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic
	Special Jury Prize	Mo’Nique
2009 Toronto International Film Festival	People’s Choice Award	Lee Daniels
2009 San Sebastián International Film Festival	TVE Otra Mirada Award
	Audience Award
2009 Stockholm Film Festival	Bronze Horse		Nominated

Music

Score

There are currently no plans for the score of the film to be released. While there is no music score for the film, recording artist still recorded music for the film. The film’s original theme song was suppose to be entitled “Push”; which was written and produced by Robin Thicke.^[50] The song Carey recorded “one-hundred percent” was to be used for the promotion of the film. The song serves as the film’s theme song and is featured in the film’s trailer.^[51] Leona Lewis’ song, “Happy” (from her album Echos) is featured in the film’s trailer.^[52]

Soundtrack

Precious
Soundtrack by Various Artists
Released	November 3 2009 (digital download) November 23 2009 (CD)
Length	51:30
Label	Lionsgate Music, Matriarch/Geffen Records
Producer	Raphael Saadiq, Mary J. Blige[53]
Professional reviews
Rolling Stone (positive)[54]
Singles from Precious
“I Can See In Color” Released: 2009

Daniels stated that the artists featured on the film’s soundtrack were selected because they “resonate not only in Precious’s world, but speak to your soul no matter who you are.”^[55] Lionsgate Music confirmed that, United States’ recording artist; Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah and Mahalia Jackson have recorded songs that will appear on the film’s soundtrack.^[55] The soundtrack also features, Donna Allen, Jean Carn, Sunny Gale, and MFSB.^[54] In addition, the soundtrack features new music from Carey and Blige. Lionsgate, in association with Matriarch/Geffen Records released the soundtrack online as a digita download on November 3, 2009,^[53] and are set to release the soundtrack in stores on November 23.^[55][54]

Daniels confirmed that, as part of promotion from the soundtrack, the first single released will be Blige’s “I Can See in Color”.^[55] The song was written by Blige, Raphael Saadiq and LaNeah Menzies and is produced by Raphael Saadiq.^[53] People Magazine Daily noted that the film “mainly had a music supervised soundtrack but not much of a score, so there were popular songs placed in the movie.”^[56] Rolling Stone described the song, “I Can See In Color” as being “…a knockout song…expressing the goal of Precious to see the world in color.”^[54]

References