Seven-year-old Mary (Mckenna Grace) has a talent for mathematics. She has been raised by her uncle Frank (Chris Evans), a single man who cares very much for her and wants her to have a normal life. When word spreads of Mary’s numerical capabilities, she gets a visit from her estranged grandmother Evelyn (Lindsay Duncan), who believes Mary should be moved into an advanced school where she can fulfil her potential. Unfortunately Evelyn and Frank lock horns and ultimately a custody battle ensues.
The biggest compliment I can pay to the film is how much it made me smile. Despite not being a comedy, I smiled and laughed a lot. Much praise must go to the script, which appears to tell a straightforward story about a family disagreement and takes it somewhere unexpected. There was a sweetness to the story that was very enjoyable and never crossed the line into cheesiness – which I was concerned it might have done.
Another thing I liked was how the film created such brilliant characters. Frank is clearly a nice guy who is doing the best he can for his niece. Of course he’s not perfect, but who is? The point is he genuinely cares for her and that’s what makes him so likable. Evans did a good job; although he’s arguably outdone by a couple of the female characters.
Young Mary, although obviously a genius, is never annoying. Often I’ve found smart children in films or on TV to be not very likable. In the movie Mary says the line “no one likes a smart-ass”, and it’s true. In this case however, despite her intellect, she still acts like a child, which is endearing. Mckenna Grace was really good and can be added to the list of great young actors we’ve seen in the past years.
Perhaps the most difficult part of the play went to Lindsay Duncan as the grandmother. She comes into the film trying to take Mary away, which immediately makes her look like the baddie. When you look at the situation from her perspective however, some may that she’s just as caring for Mary as Frank, except she cares in a radically different way. I think different people will feel differently toward the character based on their own experiences and morals. There’s a fantastic scene in the courtroom which really was her Jack Nicholson “you can’t handle the truth” moment from ‘A Few Good Men’. It was a powerful speech.
Where I think the movie let me down slightly was when a deal was proposed during the custody battle. I’m not going to mention any of the terms; but what I will say is that I found it very strange. Personally I don’t see why that deal would be proposed, because in my opinion the outcome would mean everyone loses. Some of you may disagree and think the deal was fair, but I just found the whole thing odd.
I could be petty and say that I got frustrated by the annoyingly high pitched voice of Jenny Slate, but that is probably a little harsh as her performance in general was good. Her voice just grated on me after a while. That’s my problem though and not a criticism of the film.
I think Gifted is a movie that it’s difficult to imagine anyone disliking. I don’t think it’s outstanding by any means. But then again, it’s difficult to think of many negatives. Simply put, it’s a good movie that I enjoyed watching.
