Gifted - Il dono del talento

I knew nothing about this film. Had seen no adds, heard no word of mouth, pretty much nothing.

I only found it only after tapping out the local AMC 24 and driving a few extra miles to see something new.

The premise was intriguing: What to do with a seven year old mathematical prodigy caught between a cozy, loving household occupied by her doting Uncle Frank and a one-eyed cat named Fred, and a challenging but cold academic world ready to pace her on mental treadmills for the rest of her life.

McKenna Grace plays little Mary who's character is at the center of attention whether she likes it or not. Mostly not.

Grace's performance does raise a few eye brows as she very convincingly plays a precocious and genius little girl plagued with boredom being surrounded by the dead-weight of average students she has nothing in common with.

In fact, Mary's personality is also far developed beyond her peers, exhibiting a sarcastic and jaded sense of humor more on par with a bunch of 40-year olds downing a shot or two after a particularly bad day at work.

After Mary's abilities are discovered by her first grade teacher, the inevitable battle for command of her future quickly unfolds.

One very powerful supporting role is supplied by Lindsay Duncan who portrays Evelyn the Grandmother. Evelyn is a poised and proper Englishwoman armed with a titanium intellect few would want to challenge. As the legal proceedings unfold, Evelyn verbally fire-bombs the entire court room from the stand without batting an eye in her fight for custody of Mary.

Her arguments and assessments are hopelessly air-tight and seamless, leaving Uncle Frank and his lawyer scrambling.

Frank just wants Mary to be a little girl. Grandma wants to plug her into The Matrix. Who will win?

'Gifted' is not without it's displays of some original laughs. My favorite was a scene in which little Mary discovers her Uncle Frank is sleeping with her 1st grade teacher, who one morning comes stumbling into the kitchen wearing only a towel.

Their reaction to each other is priceless.

As to why this production is flying under the radar with virtually no advertising or promotion is baffling.

The hour-and-a-half flew by for me and left me with an odd feeling it ended too soon. Aside from that, there was almost nothing wrong with this film, at least not that I could find.

Warm, unique and entertaining, 'Gifted' should stay with you for days afterwards.

A great family night movie.

This film tells the story of a seven year old girl who is spectacularly gifted at mathematics. She becomes the centre of a custody lawsuit, when her grandmother shows up out of the blue and demands custody from her uncle.

"Gifted" is brilliant in so many ways. The story itself is very touching and engaging. Mary is super clever, but she still has a childish side to her. She is very adorable, and I simply wish all the best for her. Her uncle is charming, and does everything he can to take care of Mary. The legal battle with the grandmother is captivating, and it is enhanced by the fact that the two parties are in fact blood relatives with a heartbreaking history. As the heartbreak slowly unfolds, my heart breaks a little more, and I feel closer to the story even more.

I really liked "Gifted". I will recommend it to all my friends.

I'm going to make this a simple review - acting was outstanding for almost everyone. What I'd really like to know is how did Hollywood figure out how to take an very talented adult actress and make her look like a seven year old? Mckenna Graces performance is well beyond her years. I expect we'll see many great performances from her in the years to come. Chris Evans has come a long way from Johnny Storm and I look forward to seeing him in more dramatic roles. Octavia Spencer was great in Hidden Figures but in this different type of role, I think she did just as good of job with the amount of screen time she had. And on a final note, let's give Fred a big round of applause in a "supporting role:

Just a terrific movie with one of the best performances by a child actor in years. Chris Evans was terrific. Octavia Spencer is the gold standard. Lindsay Duncan was so good.

The thing I don't get is why McKenna Grace is not being mentioned for any awards. She is just ridiculously good. So many child actors these days are too precious or too snotty. I believed her as that character. She gets better as the movie gets going. This girl deserves to, at the very least, be in the conversation for awards. It's a head-scratcher.

See this movie. It's the kind they don't make anymore. Laugh and cry, and nobody kills anyone or takes heroin or robs anyone. Sweet movie.

10 out of 10.

Gifted is a movie about relationships, family, and doing what's right for children. The film centers around Mary (McKenna Grace), a 7 year old who is academically gifted, she can do mathematics at a college/adult level. She lives with her uncle (Chris Evans), because her mother died and her father has never been in the picture. She starts the first grade and of course finds it tedious because she's far beyond that level. Her grandmother comes to take her to live with her in Boston where she can be put in a prestigious school and be surrounded by tutors. Mary's uncle doesn't want that because her mother said she wanted Mary to be a normal kid and enjoy life and not be constantly taught at all her life. But Mary's grandmother isn't about to give up.... they end up going to court over the matter and fighting for custody. The film features excellent performances by every member of the cast. It also has great writing. The writing brings out the films heart, it shows the love and sense of family that Mary and her uncle have. I 100% suggest Gifted! 8/10.