Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

"For precious girls everywhere."

2009 1h 50m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

🔥

92%

CERTIFIED FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.3

IMDB

★7.3TMDB · 1,829🍅92%Rotten Tomatoes●78Metacritic★7.3IMDB · 117,933

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In Harlem in 1987, Claireece "Precious" Jones is a 16-year-old African American girl born into a life no one would want. She's pregnant for the second time by her absent father, and at home she must wait hand and foot on her mother, an angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically. School is chaotic and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and a secret – she can't read.

“For precious girls everywhere.”

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Cast

Gabourey Sidibe
Precious
Mo'Nique
Mary
Paula Patton
Ms. Rain
Mariah Carey
Ms. Weiss
Sherri Shepherd
Cornrows
Lenny Kravitz
Nurse John
Stephanie Andujar
Rita
Chyna Layne
Rhonda

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lee Daniels
Writers: Geoffrey S. Fletcher
Languages: English, Italian
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.8× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Italian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lee Daniels, shot by Andrew Dunn. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mario Grigorov. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Joe Klotz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Gabourey Sidibe and Mo'Nique and Paula Patton carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "For precious girls everywhere.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lee Daniels directs. Andrew Dunn behind the camera. Mario Grigorov scores. Joe Klotz cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 4.8× over at the box office.
2Released 17 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Italian.
4Directed by Lee Daniels, shot by Andrew Dunn. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Mario Grigorov. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Joe Klotz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Gabourey Sidibe and Mo'Nique and Paula Patton carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "For precious girls everywhere.".
9IMDB entry: tt0929632 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 25 themes, including "rape", "aids", "illiteracy", "unwillingly pregnant".

The technical file

Cinematography: Andrew Dunn
Original score: Mario Grigorov
Editing: Joe Klotz
Production design: Roshelle Berliner
Costume design: Marina Draghici
Stunt coordinator: Roy Farfel
Runtime: 110 min · 1h 50m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $10,000,000
Box office: $47,536,959
Return: 475% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire (2009)
Rotten Tomatoes: 92% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 78/100
IMDB rating: 7.3/10 · 117,933 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Awards

Won 2 Oscars. 114 wins & 103 nominations total

Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Producers Guild Stanley Kramer Award

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Lee Daniels

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

ViciousSnowflake2020-04-09
This is kind of a rough movie to watch. A very victimized and bullied teen tries to get through life. It ends on a fairly positive note but damn. Incest babies is just a weird, skin crawling topic for me so that is always going to be rough to go through.
CinemaSerf2025-01-29
★ 7/10
Towards the tail end of the 1980s, "Precious" (Gabourey Sidibe) is feeling anything but. Intimidated by her angry, petty criminal, mother "Mary" (Mo'Nique) whilst expecting her second child by her own father. She's 16, big, black and constantly bullied - with little chance of that cycle improving amidst a community that isn't looking for any new problems. Sometimes the only solace this girl can take is when she imagines herself living a more glamorous, escapist, lifestyle - but those are merely momentary escapes from her tough urban existence. There might be a blessing from her latest pregnancy, though, as the school principal sees it as an opportunity to transfer her to a school where she might actually get some attention, feel more included and make some new friends. It's that evolving characterisation that the young Sidibe delvers potently here as she gradually begins to feel a little more empowered, finds some inner strength and courage and maybe even starts to see a corner she can turn. There's also something to be said for the less frequent but still quote powerful contributions of Mo'Nique as a mother whom, as the narrative develops, might not be so drastically different from her daughter and who is quite possibly just as lost and out of her depth. It's a film about appreciating self-worth more than anything, and though this particular scenario also adds racial tensions and a great deal of frustration and hopelessness, it isn't without a degree of optimism if the spirit is there - and it gets a little timely help now and again. It's a solid indictment of one-size-fits-all educational politics and proves that teaching is most definitely a vocation that requires vision, patience and understanding. There's an all-star cast to spot if you want, but they aren't really needed, it's all about these two women at the top of their game.

Production companies