Precious (Lee Daniels, 2009)

Black American kitchen-sink drama has seen a surfeit of films centring on gangs or teenagers getting themselves out of a hole with edukeishon over the years, and at first glance Precious would fall squarely into the second category: pregnant teenager Precious, a surly illiterate blob, is weighed down with an abusive mother whose sole mantra is 'you ain't never gonna amount to nuthin', until she starts finding her own voice under the wing of an inspirational teacher. It could be right royal crap, with J-Lo or Michelle Pfeiffer as the saintly motivator, and the fat girl finding the holy feelgood trinity of money, love and skinniness.
Thankfully, we're spared that: the bar's simply been set too high and you know Precious's filmstar fantasies will, for once, remain just that. Instead, the goal becomes a more attainable and universal one; simple self-determination. There are no real surprises along the way towards that end, but a strong cast and unpatronising script raise it above the worthy-but-dull mean.

6/10