Well this time we can believe the hype about “Precious: Based On the Novel Push by Sapphire,” The movie has actually earned six, count ‘em six, Academy Award nominations. Not bad, not bad at all—especially for a movie many thought no one would see. It’s no surprise that Mo’Nique got a nod for her role as the immensely disturbing character, Mary Jones. She’s been racking up the statuettes for Best Supporting Actress in every award show leading up to the Oscars and it would be a shock if she didn’t win. (However, with the members of the Academy you never know.) But the fame isn’t going to her head as evidenced by her greeting to Matt Lauer and the “Today Show” hosts this morning in which she called him ‘baby’ or somesuch. However, she gets big points for saying, “I’m celebrating this moment with the world. I’m celebrating this moment with Hattie McDaniel.” (McDaniel was the first Black woman to take home the prize in 1939 and the only other two sisters to win have been Whoopi Goldberg in 1990 and Jennifer Hudson four years ago.)
It’s also not shocking that Gabourey “Gabby” Sidibe got recognition in the Best Actress category. She’s been nominated quite often for the title role of Claireece “Precious” Jones but she’s yet to take home a big prize since she’s up against a powerhouse, Meryl Streep and a sentimental favorite, Sandra Bullock—who seems to have the inside track for her role in “The Blind Side”. There’s no doubt, however, that she’s having a good time. She was on “Good Morning America” this morning telling Robin Roberts in company she screamed “I’m gonna get a car,” when she heard about her nomination.
In addition, Geoffrey Fletcher snagged a nod for his adaptation of Sapphire’s amazing novel. If you’ve read the book you know that adapting it was no small feat. While Joe Klotz is rewarded for the daunting task of editing this film so it wouldn’t be too much of a downer. But the good news here is for Lee Daniels. Not only did he get a coveted nomination for Best Director but the film itself is among the ten nominated for Best Picture.
In Daniels’ case, the nomination is critical since there were rumors that Hollywood thought him arrogant. One critic suggested that insiders would choose Clint Eastwood work for “Invictus” instead because he’s a veteran (they were wrong since Eastwood was shut out of the category). Anyway, we know that Daniels is definitely the underdog in this category. The prize will either go to Kathryn Bigelow, who just took home the award from the Directors Guild of America for her work on “The Hurt Locker” or her ex-husband, James Cameron, the creative force behind the juggernaut known as “Avatar”. Best Picture is anyone’s guess. Since the field has been doubled to ten entries, the vote may very well be split in an unlikely way. But I’d venture a guess that the huge box office success of “Avatar” will be hard to ignore.
But let’s get back to “Precious” does the success of this film send a signal to Hollywood and us that Black dramas are a viable force? Or better yet, does it mean that stories that cover the length and breadth of the Black experience can actually find an audience.? While some may believe that stories like “Precious” feed into stereotypes of a different kind and may not signal any kind of change at all, I choose to look at the success of this movie with a bit of optimism. Maybe, just maybe, the world is ready to embrace the power of our stories.
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