Editor’s note: In light of the Oscar’s on March 7, the following piece reflects on two recent movies: “Precious” and “The Blind Side.”
On the surface, “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire” and “The Blind Side” come from entirely different places. “Precious” was directly by an openly gay black man from Philadelphia while “The Blind Side” was directed by a white man from Longview, Texas.
“Precious” came through the film festival circuit where it won a jury prize at Sundance, received a standing ovation at Cannes, and won the top prize at the Toronto Film Festival. “The Blind Side,” on the other hand, skipped over the festival circuit and debuted right in theatres in November and has been almost completely unseen outside of the United States.
Yet, both films deal quite frankly with issue of race and have become very popular. Both films are among the ten nominees for best picture at the Academy Awards. In fact, “The Blind Side’s” leading lady Sandra Bullock is favored to win the Best Actress prize, which she could put along aside her Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award, and Mo’nique will without a doubt win for Best Supporting Actress.
“The Blind Side” has had incredible box office success, making over $250 million dollars. Furthermore, the films have received praise and criticism.
Slate Magazine argues, “one for the ‘Stuff White People Like’ canon, ‘Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire’ is an impeccably acted piece of trash—an exploitation film that shamelessly strokes its audience’s sense of righteous indignation.” Condemnations do not get much stronger than that. The problem seems to be that Precious’s character needs to be lifted up, as the film portrays her as a helpless creature that requires guidance. It does not help that both her teacher and her social worker are significantly lighter skinned than Precious.
Many racial critiques deal with the degree to which “Precious” seems to advocate stereotypical roles. In the history of film, most black women have been reduced to supporting roles.
For many years, the only way a black woman could be nominated for an Oscar was by playing a housemaid with a heart of gold. In fact, Taraji P. Henson’s nomination for the “Curious Case of Benjamin Button” last year suggests that this particular stereotype may still prevail.
Mo’nique’s nominated performance for “Precious,” though, is decidedly more complex. Her performance shows that this film’s main strength lies in its actors. Whatever overall statement the viewer gleans from the film, Mo’nique, Gabourey Sidibe, and, shockingly, even Mariah Carey give wonderful performances.
On the other side of the spectrum, another critic went so far as to call “The Blind Side” the “Triumph of the Will” for 21st century America. As in “Precious,” the main character here, Michael Oher, needs a type of personal salvation he cannot accomplish alone and the film portrays him as even less capable of independence than Precious. Transportation into a wealthy white environment, though, facilitates Oher’s transformation. These aspects do make “The Blind Side’s” message quite problematic.
“The Blind Side,” unfortunately, does not have the redeeming qualities showcased in “Precious.” The acting, especially Quinton Aaron as Michael Oher, is atrocious. Whether “Precious” is misguided or not, it raises interesting questions. “The Blind Side,” on the other hand, ends up as a glorified Lifetime movie.
On Oscar night, Sandra Bullock’s name will flash onto the screen for a Best Actress nomination for her role in “The Blindside.” This nomination raises certain questions: if not for giving a particularly good performance, what will her award be for? Hopefully nothing more harmful than fond memories of “Speed” and “Miss Congeniality.”
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