Gifted
This week's movie rental was Gifted ...
a 2017 American drama film directed by Marc Webb and written by Tom Flynn. It stars Chris Evans, Mckenna Grace, Lindsay Duncan, Jenny Slate and Octavia Spencer. The plot follows an intellectually gifted 7-year-old who gets caught up in a custody battle between her uncle and grandmother.
This isn't the kind of movie I usually rent but I like Chris Evans very much ... hey, he's Captain America ... so I gave it a try. It was actually very good, I thought. The acting was convincing and the story had some interesting details, such as stuff about the Millennium Prize Problems, a soundtrack that featured Cat Stevens ...
And there was a one eyed cat named Fred :) ...
Here's the start of the review of the film in The New York Times ...
What’s in a child’s best interest? It depends on who’s answering the question. That’s the crux of “Gifted,” the director Marc Webb’s return to small-scale features after tangling with Spidey. The gifted child here is a 7-year-old math prodigy, Mary (Mckenna Grace, charmingly precocious), who is being raised by her uncle Frank (an impressive Chris Evans). He wants a normal life for Mary; her mother, also a math genius, was under pressure and committed suicide when Mary was a baby. So they live a simple life with their one-eyed cat in Florida, where Frank fixes boat engines; the grime under his nails (and the beer he swigs) suggest that he’s firmly rooted in the working class.
Yet Frank and Mary’s strong bond — one of the film’s most convincing parts — is tested when he sends her off to the first grade. She’s been home-schooled, but Frank thinks it’s time she tried “being a kid.” While Mary can solve differential equations, she has less-than-advanced social skills and manners. Her teacher (Jenny Slate) recognizes her abilities immediately, and floats the idea that Mary would be better served at a prep school. Frank objects, but it’s too late: Soon Frank’s rich mother (a haughty Lindsay Duncan) arrives from Boston to usher Mary off to a life of higher learning. Next stop: the local court, where a fight for her “best interest” ensues, bogging down the story .....
And here's a trailer ...
I recommend it!
a 2017 American drama film directed by Marc Webb and written by Tom Flynn. It stars Chris Evans, Mckenna Grace, Lindsay Duncan, Jenny Slate and Octavia Spencer. The plot follows an intellectually gifted 7-year-old who gets caught up in a custody battle between her uncle and grandmother.
This isn't the kind of movie I usually rent but I like Chris Evans very much ... hey, he's Captain America ... so I gave it a try. It was actually very good, I thought. The acting was convincing and the story had some interesting details, such as stuff about the Millennium Prize Problems, a soundtrack that featured Cat Stevens ...
And there was a one eyed cat named Fred :) ...
Here's the start of the review of the film in The New York Times ...
What’s in a child’s best interest? It depends on who’s answering the question. That’s the crux of “Gifted,” the director Marc Webb’s return to small-scale features after tangling with Spidey. The gifted child here is a 7-year-old math prodigy, Mary (Mckenna Grace, charmingly precocious), who is being raised by her uncle Frank (an impressive Chris Evans). He wants a normal life for Mary; her mother, also a math genius, was under pressure and committed suicide when Mary was a baby. So they live a simple life with their one-eyed cat in Florida, where Frank fixes boat engines; the grime under his nails (and the beer he swigs) suggest that he’s firmly rooted in the working class.
Yet Frank and Mary’s strong bond — one of the film’s most convincing parts — is tested when he sends her off to the first grade. She’s been home-schooled, but Frank thinks it’s time she tried “being a kid.” While Mary can solve differential equations, she has less-than-advanced social skills and manners. Her teacher (Jenny Slate) recognizes her abilities immediately, and floats the idea that Mary would be better served at a prep school. Frank objects, but it’s too late: Soon Frank’s rich mother (a haughty Lindsay Duncan) arrives from Boston to usher Mary off to a life of higher learning. Next stop: the local court, where a fight for her “best interest” ensues, bogging down the story .....
And here's a trailer ...
I recommend it!
posted by crystal | 12:16 AM
4 Comments:
Thanks for the review. We've just now sent to netflix for it. We have seen some really great movies through your recommend.
Hi Steve. Thanks. Sometimes it feels like movies are the only thing keeping me (sort of) sane :)
Key phrase - "sort of" :)
Heh :)
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