Gifted (2017)

Review

101min

Genre:      Drama

Director:   Marc Webb

Cast:        Chris Evans, Mckenna Grace, Jenny Slate… and more

Writer:     Tom Flynn

-Synopsis-

A single man’s custody of his seven-year-old maths prodigy niece is threatened by her estranged grandmother, as he struggles to balance the immense potential of the girl with his late sister’s wish that she be raised as a normal kid, in an uplifting and tear-jerking family drama from the director of ‘500 Days of Summer’ and ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’.

Hollywood is certainly no stranger to the troubled genius drama, taking on diverse stories like ‘A Beautiful Mind’ and ‘Pi’ as well covering the child prodigy conundrum with dramas like Jodie Foster’s ‘Little Man Tate’, with which this film shares much. Now director Marc Webb takes a break from TV and superhero fare and returns to earlier poignant comedy/drama sensibilities—with a tale about the price of being gifted, and the consequences of being well above the norm in this infant ‘Good Will Hunting’ meets dysfunctional family drama proposition.

Chris Evans stars as ‘Frank’, a thirty-something Boston academic turned Florida boat mechanic, raising his spirited and mathematically gifted niece ‘Mary’ (Mckenna Grace)—with the help of landlady and neighbour ‘Roberta’ (Octavia Spencer)—after the tragic death of his sister, herself an academic genius. When Mary is finally enrolled in a public school in the hopes of having somewhat of a normal childhood, teacher ‘Bonnie’ (Jenny Slate) comes into their lives but so does Mary’s stern and equally gifted estranged grandmother ‘Evelyn’ (Lindsay Duncan)—setting in motion an emotional custody battle which will open family wounds and beg the question of what is truly best for the young girl.

‘Gifted’ is no doubt a moving family drama—as it’s carefully designed to be—lightly psychoanalysing what’s left of the ‘Adlers’, a dysfunctional and fractured but gifted family where the men are underachievers and the women mathematical prodigies with wilful characters. Yet there’s plenty of charm and humour here too, so much that it almost qualifies this as a comedy, coming mainly from young Mary’s fierce intellect and huge personality clashing with a newfound outside world via her adorable and hilariously blunt talk.

The supporting cast here is solid while easily upholding and triggering the dramatic shifts in the narrative, with Oscar-winner Spencer proving charismatic as always in her brief screen time and British veteran Lindsay Duncan doing her best to flesh out a complex implacable character in a short amount of time, while comedic actor Slate holds her own in a fairly straight-laced dramatic role—but there are two stars in this particular show and the film stands on the relationship between uncle and niece, and the undeniable chemistry between the two actors playing them.

Evans sheds his costume and shield to remind us of his talents as a dramatic actor, beyond his deeper moments in the Marvel universe that is, bringing a subtlety and pathos to a character tinged with melancholy and who’s sacrificed his own life for the good of his niece, out of a sense of family duty but guilt as well. Meanwhile young Mckenna Grace–already a film and TV veteran at the age of ten—proves to be yet another unsettlingly impressive child actor on the brink of stardom with a nuanced and spirited performance as Mary, bringing some adorable edge to the familiar child genius paradigm in movies.

‘Gifted’ isn’t exactly a heart-wrenching family drama and it’s not the most original either, featuring a rather mechanical and slightly formulaic plot and a familiar narrative which won’t win any prizes for inventiveness or imagination. Nor does it boast a considerable amount of character development or in-depth psychology—but thanks to the all performances, the characters are so endearing and the film so infused with humanity and charm that we’re more than comfortable with  being so brazenly manipulated and having our heartstrings tugged at, by a breezy film with a good comedy-drama balance and a touching uncle/niece story about unconventional people.

The Bottom Line . . .

Equal parts touching, charming and adorable, ‘Gifted’ may not re-invent the dysfunctional family drama or the child genius conundrum, but this light and well-crafted yet poignant little character piece will amuse and move while keeping you captivated throughout—thanks largely to the performances of its two stars, young and not-so-young, and their undeniably enchanting chemistry.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Little Man Tate (1991)

A single mother’s struggle to raise her sensitive and immensely gifted young son in a normal environment are compounded by a determined academic and director of a school for the gifted, as they clash over what’s best for the child and what needs are more important—his emotional or intellectual ones.

Directed by Jodie Foster and starring Jodie Foster, Adam Hann-Byrd and Dianne Wiest among others.

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