Gifted

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. Octavia Spencer plays Roberta, Frank and Mary's landlady and best friend. Jenny Slate is Mary's teacher, Bonnie, a young woman whose concern for her student develops into a connection with her uncle as well.

User Reviews

Another reviewer here asks a very pertinent question as to why this film is not better known. If you watched this and didn't enjoy it then I reckon you must be dead. First off, the acting is superb. I'm not one for American child actors. They are often bizarrely moppet-like and unappealing, but this child is absolutely marvelous. She steals every scene she's in, and, like her uncle, Frank, I just sat back and wondered at her charm. Chris Evans does a fantastic job with this role. He plays it understated, which works incredibly well. There are some genuinely funny moments--I particularly liked the one-eyed cat, Fred, and his rescue from the (euthanasia) shelter. He's just sitting there with two other cats waiting to be put down. No one dies on Frank's watch. Great acting, interesting plot, genuine emotion, questions about the meaning of life and the debt we owe to our talents, all wrapped up in a great-looking movie. Just watch. You'll love it.