Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times
- Despite the often imperfect ways in which filmmakers stumble around and struggle with the racial divide between blacks and whites, I look at this December, and the decade that got us here, and find myself encouraged. ¶ Four of the most talked about films now are “Precious,” “Invictus,” “The Blind Side” and “The Princess and the Frog.” As different as night and day, yet each has race and the inherently sticky issues that come with it running through them. That they are all in theaters now, in the one month when studios fight bitterly for space to put their best films forward, is Hollywood’s version of a Christmas miracle.
All will certainly make their way into the Oscar conversation, and whatever flaws you might find in how they deal with race — and you can find them easily enough — the films are doing quite well financially. Their box office has been powered by audiences who are as diverse in opinion as background and eager to debate the films’ relative merits. The blend of money, conversation and acclaim is significant in this town, with the ripple effect sure to result in a few more greenlights for films like these. Just as heartening is the fact that mainstream audiences are choosing these stories, some difficult and demanding, along with escapist fare.
