Gifted

Movie Review : Gifted

Director : Marc Webb

Genre : Drama

Starring : Chris Evans, Mckenna Grace, Lindsay Duncan, Octavia Spencer, Jenny Slate
Released : 2017

My Rating : 8 out of 10

The economics of movies that fall under the “Drama” genre is quite different than a big budget action blockbuster. That sometimes results in a good drama flying under the radar, which happened with “Gifted” for me. Well, it turned out to be a pleasant surprise when I watched it at home.

Frank Adler (Chris Evans) is a single man living in Florida. His primary job involves repairing boats, but his goal in life is to give a “normal” childhood to his niece Mary (Mckenna Grace). As the movie progresses, his reasons for this desire become clearer and clearer to us. One reason is established right at the beginning of the movie, that Mary is exceptionally gifted at Math. Frank resists attempts by the local school to send Mary to a special school. It seems that he wants to keep a low profile, but his fears come true. His mother, and Mary’s grandmother, Evelyn Adler (Lindsay Duncan) learns about Mary being a prodigy and wants to take control of her upbringing. When Frank refuses, she takes the matter to the court.

Through the court proceedings and in the interactions between the characters, we start learning about the past. This slow unpeeling is one of the major strengths of the movie. The other is the interactions between the characters. These interactions are realistic and never over-the-top, and each has a unique shade. Frank and Mary, is not just a parent-child relationship, they are close friends too. Frank refers to his mom with her first name, and their interactions have an edge of bitterness, but they are not hostile. Frank and Mary have a great neighbor, Roberta (Octavia Spencer), and her love for Mary is genuine. Frank’s interactions with Mary’s teacher Bonnie (Jenny Slate) are more of a side story, but they add a nice warm hue to the picture.

Stories such as this, can drown into melodrama. Not here. Everyone, the director, writer and all the actors keep everything on realistic grounds. Director Marc Webb has a lot to his credit than the Spiderman movies, but for Chris Evans this is a different ball game than Captain America. They have teamed up well. Overall, the writing and direction is such that, in just a few strokes, each character comes out as a complete person rather than a caricature. It would have been easy to show Evelyn as a all controlling witch of a person, but then that would have been a cliche. I really like it when movies strike a balance between emotional impact and reality.

It would have also been a cliche, and an irritating one, if the portrait of Mary had come across as precocious. The script keeps her a normal child for the most part, and as an actress, the young Mckenna Grace is extra-ordinary. Even on the rare occasions where she gets dialogues that are beyond the age of the character, she makes it completely believable. She is indeed a gifted child.

This is a simple and heart warming movie. The story may feel generic based on reviews, and trailers, but the movie is definitely not. It may evoke memories of “Rainman” or “Kramer vs Kramer” or “Proof”, but it has an independent place of existence on its own. It’s correctly rated PG-13, and would be safe for most teenagers. I highly recommend it as a satisfying movie experience.