Mo'Nique was nothing short of genius. She made you believe that she was this character, twisted and sadistic, just as Anthony Hopkins does as Hannibal or Meryl Streep does in her films. It was a privilege to see her play the role. I cannot praise her highly enough. It was just ... remarkable and excellent. She is the only reason to see the movie. You have to watch it just to admire her work. Few people can call themselves actors or actresses (most are cheap entertainers). Mo'Nique is an actress, practicing a craft. I had no idea the depth of her talent.
Tonight, as I worked, I rented and watched both The Blind Side with Sandra Bullock and Precious on iTunes due, in part, to the Oscars that I watched with Ruby a few weeks ago. There is no question that the Academy got the votes right. Sandra Bullock deserved to beat Gabourey Sidibe who, to be honest, only gave one great scene (the final one in the classroom). As a supporting actress, Mo’Nique was brilliant. I mean, absolutely, unbelievably genius (and I don’t use that word lightly). We’re talking Meryl-Streep-good. You believed that she was a sadistic, sexually abusive, pathetic, twisted bitch of a mother that was not only mercurial and tempestuous, but devoid of virtually any good. She unquestionably deserved to win an Academy Award and it was a privilege just to watch the performance. She created art.
As for the narrative itself … it sucked. I expected far more, especially with the work normally put out by Oprah Winfrey (The Color Purple) and Tyler Perry (I generally like anything he does). The directing style of Precious resulted in you feeling almost no emotional connection or empathy for this character. About twenty minutes into the film, I realized why the lead actress didn’t win the Oscar, instead bowing to Sandra Bullock, who you could not help but love (she also has the regional accent down and it made me feel at home!).
We Always View Literature, Art, and Film Through Our Own Experiences
There is no doubt that my own background influenced how I saw the film. I mean, you have to remember that as a child, I was wired differently. When I realized that I wanted to become rich and successful, I walked to the library and taught myself finance, investing, web coding, and a host of other skills over the years, which cost me most of my youth. I was built to “do it myself” if no one would help me, as the Little Red Hen would say, so it is incomprehensible to me as to how someone could take that kind of pain for so long. (more…)
