Director: Marc Webb
By Alex Watson
While it's script might not be perfect, Marc Webb's Gifted is a movie with a great deal of heart. Making the most of the charms of debut actress McKenna Grace, Webb's film about a child genius is one driven by heavy emotion. While this family drama does boast some fine performances, it approach feels way too formulaic.
Mary Adler (McKenna Grace) is a 7-year-old girl who lives with her boat repairman uncle Frank (Chris Evans) in Florida. When she begins first grade, it becomes apparent that Mary is a mathematical genius. While the school offers to send her an academy for gifted children, Frank outright refuses the offer, stating that his late sister wanted her to have a normal life. The arrival of his estranged mother Evelyn (Lindsay Duncan) will ignite a bitter custody battle.
The easy going feel of Gifted does serve it well in the early stages. The minute Mary steps into her first day of class- she's like an acid-tongued whirlwind that teacher Bonnie (Jenny Slate) cannot handle. Mary is very much a child far removed from the rest of class, but having no friends her ages is of no great concern "Kids my age are boring!" she shrugs. Neighbour Roberta (a drastically underused Octavia Spencer) is a close to a friend as she allows. There is also a sense of sadness and frustration of being out there on her own. While the early scenes show a lovely bond between Uncle and niece, you can sense this is not built to last. Frank is wary of the attention and pressure of being a prodigy- his sister was entirely devoted to solving the notoriously difficult Navier-Stokes problem. Failing to do so resulted in her suicide and Frank taking custody!
Once word gets out of Mary's ability with numbers- Evelyn breezes back in much to the reluctance of Frank. After this introduction, the movie's dynamic shifts to being more of a courtroom piece. Evelyn abandoned his sister when she became pregnant as she considered her talents wasted. Moving the movie to the law courts- this piece soon becomes a mudslinging affair. Sadly we never really get the full sense of the family feud and everything seems far too civilised for this type of battle. Part of the issue is that we're not sure quite why Frank's status as guardian is being challenged? He has provided, given loving stability whereas Evelyn has shown no interest in her grandchild since birth. Webb gets too wrapped up in finding reasons to drag this family apart that it interferes in the logic of the film.
Gifted is a movie that desires to run on sheer emotional power. While unashamedly a tear jerker, Webb thankfully doesn't resort to courtroom fireworks to get his point across. There are numerous question raised as to whether farming Mary out to higher learning institutions will be a blessing or a curse? Frank is always steadfast in his view that Mary should be a normal, happy child. However, having already outgrown her current academic surroundings, there is always a notion of her becoming restless and resentful. Annoyingly the picture doesn't ever expand on this point and the difficulty morality of this choice is second place to family issues.
Chris Evans in a change of pace from playing Captain America is still as likeable as before. While it might not be a career defining performance, he is still a nurturing and amiable presence. McKenna Grace is left to steal the show with ease. While in a difficult of playing the smart-alec child with the ability to annoy, Grace carries it off with effortless charm. Possessing a sharp wit and quick answer for anything- this young actress is impressive as a young girl with a dangerous set of brains. While cold and mostly unlikeable, British actress Lindsay Duncan is also related as Evelyn. A woman wanting to correct earlier mistakes, her intentions are always in conflict with another.
Gifted is a movie that returns Marc Webb to the talents he displayed in movies like 500 Day of Summer. Although its direction is a little confused, it is still impossible to dislike.
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