If you had told us a few years ago that Mo’Nique — best known at the time for starring in the sitcom “The Parkers” — would deliver a breathtaking dramatic performance that would land her an Oscar, we would have said you were crazy. But as much we had our issues with “Precious,” there was no denying that the actress was a revelation. In the lead up to the Oscars in 2010, we said she was “a beast in this picture; a force of nature” that “saves this exploitative and garish movie from being a total waste of time.” However, following all the awards season recognition and the career changing praise, the actress hasn’t been quick to sign on to anything but now, more than two years after “Precious” first premiered at Sundance, it looks like she’s ready for the big screen again.
The indie dramedy “Bumped” has received a major boost as the cast that includes Kellan Lutz, Camilla Belle, Katie Cassidy, Alex Gonzalez and Xenia Siamas now have a bonafide Oscar winner in their midst. At least for Mo’Nique, she won’t be throwing babies and kitchen utensils around. Written by Lizzy Weiss (“Blue Crush“) with Stephen Herek (“Mr. Holland’s Opus,” “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure“) directing, the story “follows five strangers whose personal lives are both revealed and changed during a long layover at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.” Yeah, so it’s one of those movies.
We just hope the material is up to speed, because we’d hate to see Mo’Nique struck by the Oscar curse, joining a film that is not worth her considerable talent. No word yet on when it will shoot, but it seems to be pretty much casted up and will need to roll in the brief window Mo’Nique has before she has to return to BET to host “The Mo’Nique Show.” [Variety]
