Review – Gifted

Director Marc Webb bursted onto the cinematic scene in 2009 with (500) Days of Summer, which, for my money, is one of the best romantic comedies I have ever seen.  With great indie success comes blockbuster opportunities and Webb was given the reigns as the director of the new Spider-Man franchise starring Andrew Garfield.  Even though I am a fan of those films, audiences and other critics weren’t too kind to them, giving the film poor reviews and a poor box office.  Webb’s credibility as a director was now in question.

But, after taking a few years off, Webb has gone back to his indie roots with Gifted, an emotional, sweet film and one of the best movies I have seen so far in 2017.

Frank Adler (Chris Evans) is a single man raising a child prodigy in his sassy young niece Mary (Mckenna Grace) in Florida. Frank’s plans for Mary to attend a normal school to have normal life, even though she is far from normal.  This plan is foiled when Frank’s mother Evelyn (Lindsay Duncan) comes into the picture and feels the life Frank is giving Mary isn’t suitable for her intelligence, which causes a custody battle that could separate Frank and Mary.

We’ve seen court room dramas like this before, pitting a child in the middle of a custody battle.  But what makes Gifted so special is the endearing performances by the entire cast.  Chris Evans gives far and away the best performance of his career.  Stripping him of his Captain America invincibility, Evans is a flawed, caring man who is torn between giving his niece a normal life while also not hiding her gift.  Evans gives more emotion in this movie than any other film, making us love Frank and sympathize with his situation.  Duncan really impressed me as Frank’s mother.  She too thinks she knows what is best for Mary and is ice cold in her decision.  Frank and Evelyn may be fighting against each other, but they share a mutual respect and love for one another, as shown in a wonderful scene as the walk through a park.

And can we talk about Mckenna Grace as the breakout star of 2017 as Mary.  What a spark plug this girl is.  Full of sass, smarts, and strength, Mary is unlike any six year old I have ever seen on film.  Grace gives an impressive, dynamic performance as a girl caught in the middle of this custody battle.  Mary may be the smartest girl in her town, but the one thing she doesn’t understand is why she can’t live with Frank.  Mckenna shows a full range of emotion, from being a smart and funny to sad and angry.  This is the breakout performance of the year and the launching pad of a career for Grace.

Webb brings the touch he had in (500) Days of Summer to Gifted.  It is a style that is subtly visual, but really highlights the writing and the acting.  As I said in the last paragraph, we’ve seen these kind of movies before, but I don’t think I’ve seen one this emotional.  The movie first hooks us with an interesting court case and the relationship between Frank and Mary.  But towards the end of the film is when the heartstrings get pulled and Webb knows how to pull on them in the right way.  It was really authentic and emotional, but never overreaching or melodramatic.  The movie is full of emotions.  It is funny, sad, sweet, inspirational, and heartwarming, everything we want as a viewer.

Gifted is a true delight.  A wonderfully acted, smartly written, perfectly directed family drama.  You will fall in love with these characters, this story, and this movie.  This is one of the best movies I have seen so far in 2017.

MY RATING – 3.5/4

Did you see Gifted?  What did you think?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, or on Facebook by searching Kevflix.