Review of Gifted (2017) by Christopher E — 01 May 2017

An enjoyable and well directed film with a handful of beautiful moments.

Frank Adler (Chris Evans) is a single man raising a child prodigy - his spirited young niece Mary (Mckenna Grace) - in a coastal town in Florida. Frank's plans for a normal school life for Mary are foiled when the seven-year-old's mathematical abilities come to the attention of Frank's formidable mother Evelyn (Lindsay Duncan) whose plans for her granddaughter threaten to separate Frank and Mary.

When watching the trailer for this film, it looked like it had some promise. Although this film isn't the most shocking movie we've ever seen, it's much more enjoyable than expected, and I was emotionally invested for a good portion of it.

The film is well directed and well acted. I think that Chris Evans is a great actor and although he'll probably always be known as Captain America, I think he excels as a dramatic actor. I also think he has a knack for directing and the potential to create some great work. He really gives a great performance in this film. He doesn't overdo his role, neither does he under perform. McKenna Grace was a fantastic actress and her chemistry with Evans was pretty solid. These two really do a great job as the leads of this film and they made this movie even more enjoyable.

There are some beautiful shots in this movie, along with a handful of moments that really got to me. This movie has a simple premise that's easy to follow and easy to place yourself into. When you try and imagine yourself in this situation, it's really difficult to imagine what you'd do. I think this movie could've done a little more in making you conflicted on whether or not his daughter could stay, but ironically, it was easy to root for Evan's character.

In the end, "Gifted" is a simple yet well executed film. It's a film I would watch again and I feel like it's an enjoyable drama. It's well written and although it won't surprise anyone, I think it's worth watching.