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Is “Precious” Racist?
By Kyle | December 8, 2009
“Brazenly racist cliches” infect “Precious,” says Armond White, and the New York Times feels a chill down its spine. You can almost hear the good liberals at its culture desk going “Uh-oh!” I’m going to be amused by the reaction to the similarly guilt-expunging “Invictus” this Friday. My guess is that ultra-liberal critics are going to hate it. “Precious” has become such a big hit that it’s now facing the possibility of a backlash. “Invictus,” on the other hand, isn’t going to be a hit in the first place.
Topics: Movies, New York City, Politics, Sports |
December 8th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
The article says that The Proposal was a hit. Is that true? I watched it recently. It was absolutely awful. Fake and unfunny.
December 9th, 2009 at 1:33 am
Kishke,
It was an enormous hit. My guess is because of the unpredictable nature of the film. Surely, two incredibly attractive people who hate each other won’t fall for each other in the end.
I mean, they HATE each other.
What events would possibly transpire over one weekend that would have them fall in love??
Yet, somehow, against all odds, it happens.
That’s a recipe for success.
December 9th, 2009 at 2:13 am
Somewhere, someone must have a list of things that “aren’t racist” since films with whites helping blacks now fit in that category. Of course, I’ve been told I’m racist for the choice I made of being born.
December 9th, 2009 at 10:06 am
“The Proposal” was very much a formula romcom, but I watched it Saturday night and enjoyed it. It was nicely done and the beats, stale as they were, were fairly convincing. Bullock is a pro and Ryan Reynolds is excellent. He is going to be a huge star.
December 9th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Robert: That’s just it. Nothing transpires over the weekend to make them fall in love, except (acc. to the Ryan character) a perfunctory kiss that they are forced into as soon as they show up at the weekend, and their seeing each other naked. The rest of the time they spend snapping at each other. The setups were telegraphed a week in advance and, when they finally arrived, weren’t funny. Much of the supposed humor consists of Bullock muttering to herself. The attempts at banter fell flat. Just an awful, awful movie.
December 9th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
I’m not going to see “Precious” (I don’t have time to waste watching parents abuse their children for entertainment) - but I can’t get over how the critics are swooning over it, while calling “The Blind Side” trite. So a true story is a chiche, while a fictional one full of stereotypes is somehow fresh and inspiring?
December 9th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
My friend saw Sandra Bullock in Whole Foods a few days ago, and I’m jealous. I thought that “The Proposal” was worth the $1 I paid to rent it. I don’t remember any discussion of the age difference between the main characters, which doesn’t seem real. At least they didn’t mention Sarah Palin.
December 9th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
RE: Shevrae
Sorry, but you can’t ask Michael Oher (whom the film is based on) whether it’s cliche or not, because he refuses to even watch the movie after learning how they “dramatized” his childhood.
December 10th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Robert P., Oher relented and saw “The Blind Side.” He thought that it portrayed him as being less sophisticated about football than he actually was.