Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

With its spectacularly brutal storyline, Precious is deeply compelling and disturbing at the same time. Director Lee Daniels goes for grit every chance he gets, with many sequences drained of color and light -- except for Precious' own flights of fancy, which provide much-needed escape from her own reality. The abuse -- verbal, physical, and sexual -- plays out in relentless assaults, allowing the audience to feel just a fraction of what it's like to be Precious. It all makes for a powerful film, but sometimes it's hard to stomach.

So thank heavens for Sidibe, who, in her first feature-film outing, doesn't so much dazzle as persuade. She becomes Precious. Same for comedienne Mo'Nique, who surprises here with her monstrous depiction of Precious' mother that manages -- a little, anyway -- to be tragic, too. And points to both Mariah Carey for her nuanced performance as a social worker and to Patton for providing uplift without treacle. Toward the end, the film feels a little message-y and hurried, but that's forgivable. Precious is riveting.