comment #1

George Prager says ...

Actors who play child molesters don't win Oscars. It's like going Full Retard.

comment #2

Sabina E says ...

But polluting and destroying a young child is way beyond the realm. A person who does this is truly the keeper of Dante's Inferno.

Mo'Nique gave a GODDAMNED AMAZING PERFORMANCE for that. She did a really good job alienating you and everyone else!! and for that, she deserves an Oscar nod.

comment #3

LauraReeling says ...

"But who in their right mind could love Mo'Nique's lazy and sadistic welfare mom"

Weren't you just using the same argument to *support* a nomination for Michael Stuhlbarg? That he wasn't getting one because people weren't responding to the character emotionally?

comment #4

Jeffrey Wells says ...

Wells to LauraReeling: Yes, I lamented the apparent fact that people are responding negatively to the whiny-ass weakness in Michael Stuhlbarg's Serious Man character, and at the same time are overlooking, or not fully savoring, the dark and hilarious cosmic joke that lies at the heart of the Coens' film, which is not only that God doesn't give a damn about anyone's happiness or lack of, but that sometimes He/She decides to curse this or that person for no reason.

I realized the other day that Stuhlbarg's dignified but less-than-manly, insufficiently rebellious Larry Gopnik character had apparently become a hangup because people don't admire/like/enjoy him, and this is consistent with what I've been saying about Mo'Nique's character. I don't just not like "Mary" -- I am appalled and disgusted by her to a degree I haven't known before with a movie character. (And there's obviously no cosmic joke in Precious.) My argument has been all along that Mo'Nique's Mary is malignantly, exceptionally and groundbreakingly horrid, and that given the abundant reasons for this I'm kind of blown away that certain people want to throw rose petals at her feet and carry Mo'Nique out of the Kodak theatre in triumph. Magnificent rendering of a child destroyer without any flair or enjoyability whatsoever...whoo-hoo! Pop the champagne!

comment #5

Crow T Robot says ...

Mo'Nique in Precious can probably be compared to Michael Shannon's almost unwatchable work in Revolutionary Road last year. So painful to watch. Excruciating at times. And completely devoid of the "actor charisma" that reminds us, in the end, it's all for play.

It's also masterful and, like all great supporting actor work, completely essential to the larger themes of the movie.

comment #6

allstar397 says ...

you're right jeff, they should have given her some better one liners (a la there will be blood), or otherwise added more "flair" or "enjoyability" to the child molesting scenes. seriously?

comment #7

BRob says ...

Yes, but surely isn't that the task of an actor? To create and inhabit a different persona for the purposes of a drama? Regardless of what she has said, sure an actor should be rewarded for so convincingly (I hear) playing a role. Which is what it is. A role. Not just played by an actor but written by a writer. Aren't we supposed to get past the role when thinking of the actor? Or should we really be having a go in the street at those who have played villains? I don't get where the contempt is coming from. Sure, hate the character but they are not the actor.

comment #8

Discman says ...

Jeffrey, I agree that the mother is a monstrous character, but didn't you find youself pissed off at the FATHER? He's the one who raped the girl. Yes, the mother did nothing to stop the behavior, and she's accountable for that failure. But isn't there some small sliver of your soul that feels like she's not the PRIMARY villain in the film? It's the author's/screenwriter's choice to leave dad out of the film, for the most part, but it's him, not the mother, whom I hold ultimately accountable for what was done to Precious.

comment #9

MrTribeca says ...

"All Academy recognition should ideally be about the work and nothing but, I replied."

Is this coming from the same man who recently said that AVATAR should get an Oscar nomination purely to recognise the fact that a lot of time and money had been spent on it...regardless of the quality of the finished product?

comment #10

Jeffrey Wells says ...

I don't hate Mo'Nique. Her statements indicate she's fairly uncomprehending and/or arrogantly stupid about the value of becoming an Oscar contender, but she inhabited that Precious monster will full force, and I respect that. She nailed the role. My reaction all along has been (a) "Mary" is way too ugly to celebrate, even tangentially by giving Mo'Nique awards for bringing her to life, and (b) I don't want to know about "Mary" or see Lee Daniels' Precious ever again -- once was enough, thanks.

comment #11

Jeffrey Wells says ...

Wells to MrTribeca: You're right -- you caught me in an inconsistency. I was just pointing to past Academy tradition of helping out those studios who'd effectively "bought" nominations by spending big and employing hundreds of Los Angelenos. My point was that this value system used to be in place in the old days, and if it's still in place today that Avatar should qualify.

comment #12

Chase Kahn says ...

Everyone keeps bringing up Daniel Plainview in relation to Mo'Nique, but I think Jeff is right - Plainview is a half-likeable, unwavering, scheming kind of monster.

He's completely flawed obviously - he commits murder, abandons his son when he needed him the most, legitimately despises human beings that aren't directly influencing the cash-flow to his pocket book, etc, etc.

But Plainview also knows who he is and what he wants and he's a whole lot more dedicated than most people, as we see him rise from a nothing prospector with a crushed leg to a thriving oil man. Eli, on the other hand, is the screechy false prophet who puts his hands together waiting for the word of god which comes in the form of a bowling pin to the skull. The end - greed wins out over faith.

comment #13

TulseLuper says ...

I generally agree with you about this, Wells, but I guarantee that Brando would campaign for an Oscar if the studio threw millions of dollars at him. Scott, on the other hand, is a genuine class act who stuck to his guns about the whole thing.

comment #14

VictorLazlo says ...

A guy who gives an adult a pass for anally raping a 13 year old girl, and somehow comes to the conclusion that
Mo'nique's character in precious is more evil than Ralph Fiennes' NAZI DEATH CAMP COMMANDER, who casually murders children after eating his Wheaties in the morning, has some serious wire crossing going on.

Your rationale for the great Mo'Nique take down of 2009 has no leg to stand on.

Let me throw down the gauntlet here:

Was the Academy right when they nominated BRUNO GANZ for Best Actor for playing ADOLF FUCKING HITLER?

comment #15

VictorLazlo says ...

It seems I may have been wrong about the Academy nominating Bruno Ganz. He was robbed though, helluva performance.

comment #16

BurmaShave says ...

yes, they would have been, but then they didn't do that.

comment #17

VictorLazlo says ...

The grit, determination and hard work Daniel Plainview displays in the first 15 minutes of There Will Be Blood takes him puts him a step lower on the evil meter. He can't be compared to Mo' Nique in Precious. He's a true anti-hero.

comment #18

VictorLazlo says ...

Burma, see my correction above.

comment #19

BurmaShave says ...

yeah we posted at the same time. Truly was one of the snubs of the decade.

comment #20

Mark says ...

The key point is that being an evil person is about what you do to yourself, beyond "being" evil to spreading and creating new evils in another person, and an innocent to boot.

Is this about how Ledger got an Oscar for polluting Harvey Dent?

Precious is pretty much just a black remake of Misery, so the villain of course will get an Oscar.

comment #21

mccool says ...

When it takes this many words to explain a very simple argument, you know you've got to be wrong.

Shouldn't the fact that you were so affected, with a such a visceral, primal reaction to her character tell you that she not only deserves the "ultimate" recognition via an oscar, but that, to you, she;s given one of the most powerful--if not the most powerful--performances you've ever seen? Are you saying she should have played the character differently? Show some inner-turmoil?

The Tommy character in Goodfellas had no remorse, not an ounce of decency or empathy or humanity. He killed the Spider character in cold blood...but he deserved it because, what, that guy could have chosen to work somewhere else?

Are these awards handed out to the most entertaining actor/actress in a role, or the person who most embodies their character and makes you forget you're watching a performance?

comment #22

MikeSchaeferSF says ...

"Precious is pretty much just a black remake of Misery..."

wow, I've read some idiotic statements here over the years, but... jeezus.

Meanwhile, Mo'Nique just won the Wash DC Critics award, FWIW.

comment #23

adorian says ...

As was pointed out on an earlier Mo'Nique thread, the closest similarity is to Charlize Theron in Monster: deglam yourself and play a monstrous character.

Except Charlize played the Oscar game the way they want the game played: agree to all the red carpet premieres, but insist on a new designer gown each time, some Harry Winston jewelry, first-class plane tickets (not just for you plus one, but for your hairdresser and make-up guys), and stay in first-class hotel suites. Which would be cheaper?---the studio paying for another Charlize Theron appearance in another city or paying Mo'Nique an appearance fee?

Does anyone think Nicole Kidman and Halle Berry (and dozens of others) do these red carpet premieres for free when they're doing their Oscar campaigning? I don't think Mo'Nique is being unreasonable. She knows she's not Halle Berry and she's not going to get a huge lucrative deal as the new spokesperson for some hair-color company or make-up line. We sell out the best way we can.

comment #24

Mike Ock says ...

I'm with Wells on this one. Monique needs to be punished for not writing herself an "I drink your milkshake" moment in the script she was acting from.

comment #25

Deathtongue_Groupie says ...

Two points:

1) all of the Awards have been devalued and commercialized to such a point (c'mon, they moved the date this year to get better ratings by not competing with the Olympics) that Mo'Nique is simply taking things to their logical conclusion - "Show. Me. The. Money!"

2) only a knee-jerk, shallow kind of liberal would openly call for the ostracizing of someone for simply deciding to show some individualism and not toe the party line. You should be celebrating this act of defiance instead of handing out pitchforks and torches, Jeff.

comment #26

Rich S. says ...

From BBC's online obituary of George C. Scott:

"Scott shocked Hollywood by being the first person ever to refuse an Academy Award.

"He said that the politics surrounding such awards was 'demeaning' and described the Oscar ceremony as 'a two-hour meat parade'"

As someone who has engaged in "takedown" campaigns against various nominees, often for reasons completely unrelated to their performance or work, I'm shocked, shocked, that Jeffrey has the gall to suggest otherwise.

comment #27

LauraReeling says ...

BFCA voting occurs this Saturday and I'm curious who your three picks will be for Best Supporting Actress.

I was completely behind Anna Kendrick (best thing about "Up in the Air") *until* I happened to catch the end of 'Precious' again - the last scene with Mariah is the clincher - Mo'Nique does so much there - it's not just another 'angry Black woman' performance.

comment #28

Glenn Kenny says ...

Why are people still commenting? Prager won this thread, hands down, first shot.

comment #29

Mark says ...

Protagonist must overcome violent, stifling, and cripplingly psychopathic and overweight female caretaker. Is that the 12-word pitch for Misery or Precious? Even if i wasn't trying to be cute, i doubt the Bates/Monique comparison is the dumbest thing ever said this week. Top 10 maybe.

comment #30

Sabina E says ...

But he did love and care for his son in his own way...until he decided to give him up when his son lost his hearing because his ability to help expand Daniel Plainview's business was lessened, and because he was furious with his son for having started a fire in that cabin.

actually, Wells, you are wrong about that. When he took his son onto the train and left him there, I was shocked and disgusted. I thought "how could anyone abandon their own child, especially a DEAF child?! What a bastard."

Later, through-out the story, I discovered that Plainview, in fact, put his son on the train to be sent to a DEAF SCHOOL because he wanted the BEST for his son and did not want his son to be some kind of a mute retard (this is the 1800s, a lot of Deaf children were either abandoned or emotionally neglected, unable to learn to read, write, and speak).

Later in the story, we meet his son who have grown up. He was now well educated, well dressed and was able to read, write and communciate. That was not common for Deaf people back in the 19th century and earlier. I know this, because I've read a bit about Deaf history.

Plainview, at first glance, seems like a monster-- but when you really get into his soul, you can't help but admire his stubborn passion and hard work. I was impressed that Plainview cared for his son and wanted his son to have an EDUCATION.

So yeah... I just wanted to write that here.

comment #31

LexG says ...

At this point, since no one makes note of it, was I just imagining things, or did every single HE reader forget the fact that Mo'Nique's character is molesting Precious, too?

"Come in here and make Mama feel good" might be the most disturbing element of the entire movie... which of course Ham-Handed Daniels, who's never met a symphony of misery he couldn't milk, runs into the ground immediately. It's not overwrought enough that Mo'Nique presumably forces her daughter to give her head, we're treated to a post-oral-sex-giving Precious, sans shower, stealing a bucket of chicken then stuffing her face with it as she RUNS down the street, THEN goes to class and vomits.

How does something THAT hysterial not send any seasoned critic's BULLSHIT-O-METER through the roof? If this was a Wayne Kramer movie where some tweaker mom forced her kid to "give her pleasure," then the kid went out and shot up a liquor store, every snide critic in America would be scoffing from on high.

comment #32

LexG says ...

At this point I'm wondering if I was just imagining things, or if every HE reader forgets that Mo'Nique's character wasn't just turning a blind eye toward the father's abuse, but she was actively molesting Precious as well.

"Come in here and make Mama feel good" is the most disturbing line of the entire movie... of course Ham-Hand Daniels, who's never met a hysterical symphony of misery he couldn't milk, runs it into the ground immediately. What with a presumably post-giving oral sex to her MOM Precious stealing a BUCKET OF CHICKEN then eating it while RUNNING down the street, then vomiting upon entering class.

How does a sequence that hysterical not send any seasoned critic's BULLSHIT-O-METER through the ceiling?

If it was a Wayne Kramer movie where an abusive tweaker molested a kid, and the kid in turn went out and shot up a liquor store, every critic in America would be scoffing from on high at the ludicrous machinations and overall ugliness.

comment #33

Phreaker says ...

"Plainview, at first glance, seems like a monster-- but when you really get into his soul, you can't help but admire his stubborn passion and hard work. I was impressed that Plainview cared for his son and wanted his son to have an EDUCATION."

That is sad. If you think that way you'll get PTA's heavy-handed point, that oil men are EVIL and they deserve to live in the hell of their own making.

comment #34

Chase Kahn says ...

DeafBrown - it was the early 1900's, but I catch your drift. I agree with you that Daniel Plainview is a half-likeable 'monster' with unrelenting greed and self-determination that will drop at nothing.

But, at the end of the film, when faced with his now grown-up son before him, ready to make ammends and rekindle the father-son bond, Plainview has no further use for him and reveals to him rather callously that he is, in fact, his ADOPTED son. The implication is, "go away, you're not worth the trouble anymore, you're not even MINE".

I think the fact that he sent him on the train was as much about getting rid of him for the time being than it was about giving him the proper tools necessary to thrive with his disability. It's kind of a nice move, but in the end, his disregard for him takes over.

comment #35

Chicago48 says ...

Jeff give it a rest. GEEZ!

comment #36

Krillian says ...

Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs
Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men
Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight
Denzel Washington in Training Day
Joe Pesci in Goodfellas

Charismatic murdering psychopaths are allowed to win.

Kathy Bates in Misery
Charlize Theron in Monster

Crazy female killers are allowed to win.

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
A movie where children are forced into prostitution or blinded on purpose to make them more profitable beggers.

Yeah, Prager for the win.

comment #37

JulesWinnfield says ...

Just saw it again, I don't care how evil Mo'nique's character was, she was absolutely brilliant. Sidibie should at least get a nod also, I still can't get over the fact that she has had no previous acting experience what so ever. Amazing.

comment #38

slithis says ...

Wells: "But who in their right mind could love Mo'Nique's lazy and sadistic welfare mom who makes her daughter's life a living hell and permits her husband to rape that daughter repeatedly as a way of currying favor with him? It's one thing to throw your own life away but to systematically torture and poison the life of your child? She's garbage -- arguably the lowest and scummiest character ever portrayed in an Oscar-quality feature."

Jeff, it isn't a fucking documentary, it's a dramatic MOVIE, with actors playing characters -- i.e., none of it is real, unless you are living vicariously through Precious and working out some of your own issues.

Gabby Sidibe wasn't really being abused, in case you were confused.

That being said, I've met Mo'Nique twice and I can tell you that this is hands down the biggest acting stretch of the entire year -- not a trace of the bubbly, warm real-life Mo'Nique exists in this character -- it's time you start looking at it as a performance and examining the acting, and stop looking at it as a character who made you feel badly -- so what?

comment #39

Chicago48 says ...

Thanks Jules and Slithis. I don't know what's with Jeff. Jeff can you put up your review of Silence of the Lambs (which I did not like) and let's see how you felt about Hopkins performance?
Monique just seems so real -- I'm not a fan of her comedy, but she seems like a down to earth mamma. So what if she doesn't want it? At least she's being real and not groveling at the feet of the elitist members.

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