A review of the new film “Gifted”
The title is a reference to seven year old Mary who has outstanding mathematical skills inherited from her British grandmother and American-British mother. When her mother commits suicide, her uncle Frank spirits her off to Florida in an effort to give her a normal life. The narrative may be a bit trite and the conclusion too neat, but this small movie hits some emotional spots and is made by some fine performances.
Young McKenna Grace is amazing as Mary; Chris Evans is a much more low-key and nuanced than in his Captain America role as he plays Mary’s uncle; and Lindsay Duncan is very accomplished in the unsympathetic role as Mary’s grandmother. African-American Octavia Spencer and comedian Jenny Slate are strong in support turns.
Director Marc Webb, fresh from a couple of “Spider-Man” movies, is interested in real human relationships, as he showed with “300 Days Of Summer”, and he can be proud of this addition to his canon.