04:25 PM Friday, November 20, 2009
No, Thanks: Why I'll Be Skipping 'Precious'
Date: Friday, November 13, 2009, 5:47 am
By: Tonya Pendleton, BlackAmericaWeb.com
I have come to realize that when it comes to most black folks, I’m in the minority.
The prospect of Sheneneh and Wanda (characters made famous by Martin Lawrence and Jamie Foxx) reuniting for a full-length movie doesn’t excite me. I can’t stand “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” I hated “Flavor of Love.” And while I’ve enjoyed a Tyler Perry movie or two, I can’t relate to Madea. Out of the five grandmothers in my family - including my mother, my sister and my aunt - not a one of them bears even the slightest resemblance to the pistol-packing, housecoat-wearing Madea.
Let’s be clear – I don’t come from a family of women who grew up in privilege. My aunt and her husband raised eight kids in the projects in Brooklyn. My sister has four different children by four different men and was a homeless drug addict for at least a decade. My niece, a grandmother by marriage, had her first child at age 16.
So, it would seem like I know a little something about the kind of pathological conditions that would create a “Precious: Based on the Novel Push.” But the truth is, I don’t. The bare facts of the information I just shared speak for themselves, but if you knew the women and the situations involved, you would know that black people often defy stereotypes, even when they are in stereotypical situations.
In the movie, as in the 1996 book “Push,” the heroine is 16-year-old Clareece “Precious” Jones, an overweight, dark-skinned, New York City teenager who is being abused by both parents. Her father has impregnated her twice, and her mother, Mary, is verbally, physically and sexually abusive as well. Fortunately, Precious is sent to an alternative school, where a teacher named Blu Rain helps her to find some love within, despite her admittedly horrific circumstances.
All of the above has its importance. To the many African-American women who, like Precious, have been marginalized, abused, degraded, disrespected and otherwise wounded and hurt by caretakers and family members, this film may provide a cathartic experience. And the film resonates not just with black women, but the many victims of abuse across all racial and economic backgrounds. That's part of the reason why Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, both of whom have acknowledged past abuse, embraced "Precious" and helped African-American director Lee Daniels get it done.
The fact that a woman like Precious, often ignored and scorned by society at large, is even a topic of discussion is itself a victory. African-American women who look that way are not often the topic of any discussion that is not either paternalistic or contemptuous. To see Gabourey Sibide, who herself belies the role she plays in “Precious” in real-life, is to see a young woman who exudes confidence and joy. Her precise diction and confidence in herself and her size – to the point that she came out dancing exuberantly during her recent “Ellen” appearance - refutes the idea that a big, black woman has to be ashamed of herself.
I know a fitness trainer who is appalled by the idea that there is any black woman comfortable being oversized. Of course, without them, he wouldn’t have a job, but I’ve seen photos on his site that have practically invited posters to ridicule overweight black women. As a woman who’s gained double-digit pounds over the last decade, I feel the sting of those comments, even if I’m not as large as the women pictured. So, I get the feelings of identification one can have with a “Precious” - or indeed, as Oprah says, in some ways, “We are .....
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Don't be so negative...Great story and movie!! Agree with you, Boodreaux!!
by
Jaimcintosh
November 20, 2009, 1:58 am
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I saw the movie, and although the subject matter is disturbiing, the performaces were fantastic, and Kudos to Sapphire, Oprah, Tyler, & Lee for an excellent movie! I bought the book and I will purchase the dvd
by
Boodreaux
November 19, 2009, 8:54 am
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personally i hate movies that show how hate reins in our community as if nothing else exits but hate . as if we just put two feet on the floor and there hate is staring us in the face walk out of our door and again hate is there to greet us once more. holding onto welfare as if our very life depends on it. as much as i didnt want to see this movie my girlfriend insisted that we see that****.
by
Swtdhunt2
November 19, 2009, 8:20 am
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Thank GOD that I or anyone I know has not been in Precious' situation. But those of you who are putting down this movie, you better wake up and smell the coffee, just because its not happening to you doesn't mean its not happening to others. Where is your concern when it comes to children being abused? What?...not happening to you so its not your problem. Pitiful. I pray that no one close to you ever needs your help when their in trouble.
by
WandaWLee
November 18, 2009, 8:01 am
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How about we stop making black movies all together? We have a terrible problem with being the last to support our own. We can not keep finding excuses of why certain things in culture should be hidden and what should be shown. We need to take a stand and start supporting our own! I am sure while you are degrading Madea, Precious and other black movies, you are probably watching some movie or television show with no blacks,latinos or anyone in the African Diaspora staring in it and supporting it.
by
Shambulia
November 18, 2009, 7:17 am
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Gabourey Sibide (right) stars as Clareece "Precious" Jones in the acclaimed film "Precious," directed by Lee Daniels. (AP)
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