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‘Gifted’: Cliched But Moving and Funny
by Sandra Olmsted
in the heart-warming film ‘Gifted’ opening this Friday.
Director Marc Webb’s Gifted tugs on the heartstrings at many turns, yet it also has humor and purveys a sense of redemption. Unabashedly manipulative, the tear jerk moments, especially a cat rescue, will make cat lovers swoon for the male lead, Chris Evans, even more. On the other hand, Gifted shares the indie film qualities of small-scale filmmaking and being driven by solid performances and strong, sparking dialogue, similar to Little Miss Sunshine and Juno. Gifted also has an old Hollywood feel because of the range of emotions plucked at, like Old Yeller or Pollyanna, with a sprinkling of The Trouble with Angels.
Webb establishes the story quickly by opening with Frank (Evans) sending a reluctant and precocious Mary (McKenna Grace) off to her first day of school even though she would rather continue to be home schooled. Neighbor, friend, and surrogate mother Roberta (Octavia Spencer) warns Frank that sending her to school is a mistake, and Frank insists that he wants Mary to be “a kid” and have a real childhood. Mary quickly impresses her teacher, Bonnie (Jenny Slate), with her math abilities and her “smart-ass” attitude. Later, Bonnie and Frank develop an attraction for each other that threatens Bonnie’s job.
Having not been around her peers, who she generally finds boring, Mary quickly runs afoul of the rules and draws attention to herself from the school’s principal (Elizabeth Marvel). This attention draws Frank’s mother and Mary’s grandmother, Evelyn (Lindsay Duncan), to Florida with the intention of taking custody of Mary. Evelyn intends to turn Mary into a replacement for the daughter she lost, Mary’s mother, a “one-in-a-billion” math genius who committed suicide, leaving Frank to raise Mary differently than their mother did them.
As the custody battle plays out in court and in interpersonal dramas between mother and son, Webb and screenwriter Tom Flynn don’t let the court room drama overwhelm the very human stories of family tragedies and helicopter parents driving exceptional children too hard. Webb and Flynn also easily introduce the audience to the world of higher math, unsolved equations, and academic competitiveness. The storytelling style in Gifted adheres to the minimalism of only showing as much as is needed, which keeps the manipulativeness in check. Still, a tissue or two might come in handy during this film.
The solid script allows for the strong performances. McKenna Grace carries much of the film on her tiny but powerful shoulders with a performance that shows great range and big talent. Aside from being eye-candy, Evans delivers as the lessor sibling who struggles with personal and family issues without losing sight of his great struggle to be a good parent. Duncan, as a snarky and determined grandmother, gives Evelyn a sympathetic side. Spencer shines as the opinionated friend with deep concern for Mary.
Gifted is rated PG-13 for thematic elements, language and some suggestive material and runs a well-paced 101 minutes. Gifted, a Fox Searchlight Pictures release, is in theaters by Apr. 14 with many local theaters running advanced screening of it on Thursday, Apr. 13.
