Mo'Nique

As Mary, the abusive mother in Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire (2009), Mo'Nique gives us no reassuring glimpse of her comic personality. We were horrified by the cruelty she makes believable here. She plays a recognisable, complicated woman, and that makes the abuse harder to dismiss as something invented for a drama. It is strong work in a film we recommend with reservations, and the clearest evidence of how much she can do when she is not required to be funny.

The comic skills were already well established in The Parkers (1999–2004), where she played Nikki Parker. Her timing and the ease with which she makes outspoken characters approachable help explain why that sitcom brought her to a wider audience. The stand-up work is direct and bawdy, with audience interaction part of its appeal. Dramatic work followed with Shadowboxer (2005), before Precious became the breakthrough. There is no need to treat the comedy as something she had to outgrow; making an outspoken character approachable is difficult work too, and worth taking seriously on its own.

Daniels gets a performance from her in Precious that is more disciplined than some of his direction. He sometimes presses the suffering too hard, and the drama is uneven enough that we cannot recommend it without that warning. Gabourey Sidibe makes Precious feel like someone with a life beyond what is done to her, a crucial achievement in a film with so much abuse to show. Mo'Nique's work as Mary belongs among its strengths, but it does not excuse every choice made around her.

The later, selective screen work includes Ma Rainey in Bessie (2015) and Cynthia Henry in Daniels' The Deliverance (2024). We would welcome another part as demanding as Mary, without asking her to repeat the character. There ought to be room for a part that asks as much of her comic timing, too. Start with Precious for Mo'Nique, provided the prospect of an abusive mother played with this much conviction is something the evening can accommodate.