Lee Daniels gets remarkable performances from actors his films do not always serve well. We rate his work most highly when he lets those performances hold our attention, without fantasy sequences or repeated explanations.
Fi1m perspective
In Precious (2009), Gabourey Sidibe and Mo’Nique play a daughter and mother who have never been kind to each other. Daniels gets two remarkable performances, then keeps distracting us with fantasy sequences and famous faces in small parts. We found their scenes together distressing because neither performer softens the lack of kindness between these people. This was Sidibe’s first film, and her performance helps carry the whole thing. Daniels has a gift for finding actors who can make difficult material convincing, but he does not always know when to leave them alone.
His directorial debut, Shadowboxer (2005), had already put Helen Mirren alongside Cuba Gooding Jr. in an unconventional cast. Precious brought wider recognition, and the lush southern pulp of The Paperboy (2012) followed. Moving between social realism and heightened drama has remained central to his work; restraint was never likely to be his strong point. The problem is that his storytelling can become familiar even while his actors are doing something fresh. In Precious, Geoffrey Fletcher’s adaptation of Sapphire’s Push leans towards the old inspirational-teacher story.
The Butler (2013) tries to tell a family’s story alongside a broad account of history, and cannot quite fit both in. Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey make it affecting, while Cecil Gaines’s White House work gives Daniels a useful way to look at power. Danny Strong’s screenplay keeps hurrying towards the next event, leaving too little time for the family. The famous faces and repeated explanations add to the sense of a director unwilling to let anything pass without emphasis. We recommend it cautiously, for the performances, and with patience required for the script.
Daniels and Strong continued their partnership as co-creators of Empire (2015–2020), taking his taste for heightened drama into television. His later features include The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021) and The Deliverance (2024). Casting remains the first reason we would take a chance on another Daniels film. We would be happier still if it gave those actors fewer interruptions to overcome.
Biography
Lee Daniels is an American film and television director, producer and screenwriter. He made his feature directorial debut with Shadowboxer (2005) and directed Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire (2009), which he also produced.
Daniels attended Radnor High School and Lindenwood University. He previously worked in healthcare and as a casting director and talent manager before producing films including Monster's Ball (2001). His later directing credits include The Paperboy (2012), The Butler (2013), The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021) and The Deliverance (2024). He created and directed episodes of the television series Empire (2015).
Precious earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Picture.
