Gifted – 4 out of 5
I don’t recall the movie I was seeing when I saw the trailer for Gifted but I was definitely intrigued. It looked sweet and like a tender drama that would probably leave me in tears but, more importantly, it had Chris Evans in it. Being that I am obsessed with the MCU, I’ll pretty much support any feature those performers from the Marvel Cinematic Universe are in. After having this one sit on my Watch List since it came out in 2017, I decided to finally give it a shot and I really enjoyed it.
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| Just hanging out on the beach...with their cat. |
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| That's not how you spell "boobs" on a calculator. |
After his sister’s suicide, Frank Adler (Evans) has taken custody of his niece Mary (McKenna Grace) and now resides in Florida where they live a simple existence. After Mary is enrolled in public school, her teacher Bonnie Stevenson (Jenny Slate) learns that she is a math prodigy and hopes to have her go to a private school. After Frank refuses, Mary’s grandmother; Evelyn (Lindsay Duncan) intervenes and tries to wrestle custody away from him in the courts. Frank wants Mary to live the life of a normal child because he believes it is what his sister would have wanted but Evelyn doesn’t want to see the girl’s potential go to waste.
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| I'm terrible with math (that's why I never hit the blackjack tables) so anything she tells me with a math problem, as long as she tells me with confidence, I'd 100% believe her. |
Gifted plays out with absolutely no surprises. You pretty much know exactly where the story will go and how the plot will take you there. The ending offers up no twists or curveballs and it resolves itself in the very fashion you suspect it will. And all of that is okay. Too often we criticize things for a lack of originality but when we consider that there are realistically only so many stories to tell, sometimes when you get those ones that are familiar but have a sort of cozy, comfy feel to them, I find them welcoming. That’s the gift that Gifted brings. It’s a heartwarming tale that acts as comfort food, nourishing the soul.
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| He's come a long way since the days of Not Another Teen Movie. |
Granted, this formula could easily fall apart for numerous reasons. The overall production can be weak or, as is the usual case, the acting can be bad. However, a bad cast isn’t an issue for Gifted. The cast is pretty damn incredible in this film. Lindsay Duncan is a great antagonist in the story and she is so without ever really feeling like an over-the-top bad guy. Jenny Slate and Octavia Spencer are supporting players in Frank and Mary’s story and they definitely add to the tale because both performers are very talented and a joy to watch. McKenna Grace is adorable and fantastic as Mary and, finally, Chris Evans really leads the cast terrifically. He really got to showcase his more dramatic side in this one and I was really impressed with his non-verbal acting and how he was able to say so much without saying much at all.
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| She just got to the restaurant and has already asked to speak to the manager 17 times. |
Gifted is a by-the-numbers, formulaic tender drama that hits all the notes you’d expect it to hit and arrives at an outcome that you know it’s heading to before the film even starts. To movie snobs, this makes it easy fodder to pick apart and harp on but while the material may be familiar that doesn’t mean it didn’t deliver it in a consumable and enjoyable way. With its fantastic cast and characters that are easy to sympathize with—not to mention that the custody battle portion of the film never gets ugly or mean—the film provides a very satisfying experience…also an experience that really makes me want to see Chris Evans and Jenny Slate get back together in real life. They really are adorable together.
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| Seriously, you two need each other so that I can live vicariously through your relationship. |
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