Gigi & Nate

I did some research on the net because somewhere it said the movie was inspired by true events . It, was, but of course a lot of stories are as there are so many people in similar circumstances that it is only reasonable to expect to find similarities . The person that it was loosely inspired by was Ned Sullivan who got paralyzed in car accident . Anyway the movie was very inspiring and the best actor was definitely the small Capuchin monkey. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it as it is a nice variation on the violence laden movies we are getting lately. The only thing that I found annoying had nothing to do with the movie itself, but depicting the story from the perspective of an obviously very well off family who had the means to give there son the best care money could buy .

I loved the movie. From music to characters to film locations. But that isnt what made me watch the whole movie, as nice as those things are. It was the connection between Gigi and Nate. I love all animals. I always fight for their rights. Speak for them when they dont have a voice to speak for themselves. Yet this movie in no way at all showed abuse nor implied mistreatment of animals.

What it did show was a powerful connection between human beings and animals. In my opinion more times then not we get so much more interacting and having that bond with animals. I've seen countless wild birds have this bond with human beings. Birds that could fly away yet choose time and again to come back day after day to a human. Why can it not be something beautiful to bond and grow and evolve our connections with animals?

Hope is such a powerful thing. So is growth. You wont find one without the other. Animals do chose us all the time. They seek out the needy to form that connection, that bond. To help not harm. This movie was amazing and beautiful. I highly recommend it. Huge back pats to everyone involved. They said it was a box office flop. I felt it was worth 10 stars and more.

I do not often see such an honest portrayal of a physically challenged person on screen. Having a son about the same age as Nate, made this hard to watch! The story is often sad but also frequently humorous and at times I even felt angry.

The acting is solid. Charlie Rowe did an amazing job with both the physical and emotional requirements of playing a young man in the prime of his life who suddenly finds himself unable to use his arms and legs and dependent on others for his daily existents.

Marsha Gay Harden was believable as the strong Mama bear determined to advocate for her son. And Diane Ladd was precious as the feisty Granny - she had some of the best lines in the film!

I appreciate that they kept this film "family friendly" because I think the message is important for tweens as well as adults.

Some say this movie is based on a real young man and his helper monkey. I prefer the term "inspired by" because so much of the story is changed for this movie. The one constant is that the young man was accidentally paralyzed and an organization that trains service animals provided a capuchin helper monkey. In this movie she is named Gigi. But names, family dynamics, locations, and method of paralysis are all fictional, as are most of the interactions portrayed.

But none of that matters in appreciating the movie. It deals authentically with a real subject and the difficulties of a partially incapicated person. Including military veterans, some featured in the movie, who were wounded, many with missing limbs.

Also the last parts of the movie, depicting the protests and the hearings to see if legislation will be advanced to prohibit use of monkeys as service animals. Today the organization, Helping Hands, no longer trains capuchin monkeys mainly due to pressure from animal rights groups, as well as concerns over health and safety. These factors resulted in federal and state governments changing the laws to make it difficult or impossible to have a monkey as a service animal. In 2010, a revision to the Americans with Disabilities Act stripped capuchin monkeys of their status as service animals.

My wife and I enjoyed this movie at home on BluRay from our public library.

I loved this film. Some critics have said it has a mediocre script but is saved by wonderful acting. I agree the acing is fantastic. I'm not familiar with Charlie Rowe's other work but I found his performance in this film to be deeply sincere and touching. I'm going to checkout some of his other work. He is certainly someone I will follow in the future. The supporting cast is also excellent especially Marcia Gay Harden and a knockout performance by Josephine Langford.

This film also explores the difficulty of a family coping with tragedy and the importance of a timely therapeutic intervention that ultimately leads to overcoming terrible obstacles. It is also about personal triumph and love.

Another factor important in this film is the damage caused by people who are zealots to a particular movement and who's beliefs can cause needless suffering and damage to innocent people and animals.

I feel these types of films are important. You leave the cinema filling good and full of hope, but you'll probably shed a lot of tears before you get there. I hoped a lot of people will see this film. It will open your heart.