# Critic harshes on "Precious" - Ugly grittiness of underclass life gives him the vapors \[SPOILERS\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 6, 2009, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critic-harshes-on-precious-ugly-grittiness-of-underclass-life-gives-him-the-vapors-spoilers/516573 "2009-11-06T15:06:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Condescending\_Robot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a183cd/32.png) [@Condescending\_Robot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Condescending_Robot)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critic-harshes-on-precious-ugly-grittiness-of-underclass-life-gives-him-the-vapors-spoilers/516573/41 "2009-11-29T00:03:57Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I also get the feeling that they’re trying to make us feel guilty for not being THIS bad off. The comments on the review about how “REAL people are illiterate victims of sexual abuse” reveal a lot more about what goes on behind the scenes in America than the movie does. Leave the issue of physical attractiveness out of it and just ponder that angle. That multiple people believe this is one of the most interesting things to come out of this movie. > [@](#): > > Plus, is it really art if it’s not that good? Yeah, I have trouble believing anything endorsed by Tyler Perry and written by someone who insists on being called “Sapphire” is going to be transcendent art, but I guess I’ll have to see the movie to know for sure. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critic-harshes-on-precious-ugly-grittiness-of-underclass-life-gives-him-the-vapors-spoilers/516573/42 "2009-11-29T00:40:15Z")
The description of the movie puts me in mind of this, from Arlo Guthrie: > [@](#): > > \*[E]verybody always has it bad once in a while. You know, you have a bad time of it, and you always have a friend who says “Hey man, you ain’t got it that bad. Look at that guy.” And you at that guy, and he’s got it worse than you. And it makes you feel better that there’s somebody that’s got it worse than you. > > But think of the last guy. For one minute, think of the last guy. Nobody’s got it worse than that guy. Nobody in the whole world. That guy…he’s so alone in the world that he doesn’t even have a street to lay in for a truck to run him over.\* ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critic-harshes-on-precious-ugly-grittiness-of-underclass-life-gives-him-the-vapors-spoilers/516573/43 "2009-11-29T02:31:21Z")
> [@](#): > > Once people actually see it, I am sure a thread will be started about that. Well, I did start [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=540773), which died an ignominious death. I saw the film about a week ago, and while it does pile it on very thick, the movie is not about a black girl in the ghetto. It’s about the ability to survive an abusive environment by walking out on it. Precious (the person) doesn’t succeed in the Hollywood notion of the word. She succeeds by asserting some limited amount of independence into her miserable life. It’s an honest effort to address aggression towards women and domestic abuse in general. Stereotypes aside, the film features some powerful performances. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critic-harshes-on-precious-ugly-grittiness-of-underclass-life-gives-him-the-vapors-spoilers/516573/44 "2010-03-21T05:45:33Z")
Google pics of DW blondes [![](http://whoorl.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/kristin_before.jpg) ](http://whoorl.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/kristin_before.jpg) [http://www.poster.net/anthony-lysette/anthony-lysette-photo-lysette-anthony-6232790.jpg](http://www.poster.net/anthony-lysette/anthony-lysette-photo-lysette-anthony-6232790.jpg) [![](https://survivorsareus.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/whiteblonde.jpg) ](https://survivorsareus.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/whiteblonde.jpg) [http://www.thehairtrader.com/itemimages/259790\_1\_462322.JPG](http://www.thehairtrader.com/itemimages/259790_1_462322.JPG) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critic-harshes-on-precious-ugly-grittiness-of-underclass-life-gives-him-the-vapors-spoilers/516573/45 "2010-03-21T06:28:48Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > To play devil’s advocate here, one could say “having thoughts or ideas” about a story is a postmodern conceit. Leaving interpretive space for the reader/audience to operate within isn’t really a postmodern idea. The familiar admonition to writers to “show don’t tell” is an example of this principle in action. Stories are often more interesting and moving when the author/director doesn’t beat the audience over the head with the moral or message, but rather creates the space to allow them to connect the dots and arrive at the desired destination on their own. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critic-harshes-on-precious-ugly-grittiness-of-underclass-life-gives-him-the-vapors-spoilers/516573.md?page=2)