In New York City's Harlem circa 1987, an overweight, abused, illiterate teen who is pregnant with her second child is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes that her life can head in a new direction.
Check out our gallery of the 2021 Golden Globe nominees in the leading and supporting acting categories, as the characters they so brilliantly played and in real life
In Harlem, 1987. Sixteen year old Claireece Jones - who goes by her middle name Precious - is illiterate and overweight. She is pregnant with her second child, both children fathered by her biological father, who has continually raped her since she was a child, but who she doesn't see otherwise. Her infant daughter, Mongo - such named since she has Down Syndrome - lives with Precious' grandmother. Precious lives with her mother Mary, who abuses Precious both physically and emotionally. Mary does nothing but smoke, watch television and collect welfare through fraud (as she doesn't ever look for a job) and believes that education does nothing for Precious, who she would rather also collect welfare if only to bring money into the household. To escape her life, Precious often daydreams of herself in glamorous situations. Because of her current pregnancy, Precious' principal transfers her into an alternative school. In dealing with the school's sympathetic teacher Miss Blu Rain, Precious ...Written by
Huggo
The first film to win the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. See more »
Goofs
When Mary is holding Mongo before the social worker comes in, Mongo is holding a sucker; however, when the social worker is asking Mary about how her job search is going, Mongo is holding a piece of red licorice, which she throws on the floor. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Clareece 'Precious' Jones:
[voiceover]
My name is Clareece "Precious" Jones. I wish I had a light-skinned boyfriend with real nice hair. And I wanna be on the cover of a magazine. But first I wanna be in one of them BET videos. Momma said I can't dance. Plus, she said who wants to see my big ass dancing, anyhow?
See more »
I was attracted to this movie by the rave reviews and Oscar nominations it has got. A true touching story of a section of society in America which is realizing its potential.
The movie starts with Claireece "Precious" Jones the lead character, in the school where she has been suspended as she is pregnant with her second child at the age of 16. Precious lives in a world of her own though she is living in a dreadful condition. She forgets her misery by disguising it with her dreams of having a charming boyfriend and living a celebrity life. The movie depicts her struggle to deliver the second child, the realization of the purpose of life and living it on her own terms.
The summary of the movie is "Life is what we define it to be and not what we are made to live".
8 of 11 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
| Report this
I was attracted to this movie by the rave reviews and Oscar nominations it has got. A true touching story of a section of society in America which is realizing its potential.
The movie starts with Claireece "Precious" Jones the lead character, in the school where she has been suspended as she is pregnant with her second child at the age of 16. Precious lives in a world of her own though she is living in a dreadful condition. She forgets her misery by disguising it with her dreams of having a charming boyfriend and living a celebrity life. The movie depicts her struggle to deliver the second child, the realization of the purpose of life and living it on her own terms.
The summary of the movie is "Life is what we define it to be and not what we are made to live".