More Than Stars

Gifted: Toothless and sassy

A young girl’s path of intelligence disrupting adolescence. Oh, and Frank.

by Cameo Turner

If you’re a film review enthusiast, you’ve struck the golden film for that light hearted melodrama leaving you refreshed, inspired and impressed. Gifted (2017) directed by Marc Webb fulfils the verdict of a crowd pleaser just like seeing Leonardo DiCaprio’s gorgeous face appear in any film possible.

The film follows the life of Frank (the hunk Chris Evans) and his deceased sister’s daughter Mary stuck together through love as the fend to live the most normal life possible. Frank exhibits a relaxed single father like figure trying to give Mary the most normal upbringing as possible. This proves to be important to him as Mary is a gifted (hence the title) mathematical genius, like her birth mother.

Frank just wants Mary to be a kid, but struggles to treat her like one with her intellectual mind bouncing a more complex personality than an average young girl. Frank decides Mary needs to endure social experiences normal to her age, so puts her in a public school system. From the first day her continuous sassy and affronting attitude is brought through mocking the other children to not knowing “3 + 3? Really?” The assertiveness on her face says it all. We defiantly have a crowd pleaser on our hands.

A smirk across the audience’s faces is a must with this pocket rocket. Missing her two front teeth and laced with the blondest of bobs she is really just a woman trapped inside a seven year-old’s body. As the school becomes aware Mary is gifted, the attention is shifted from her pursuing adolescent normality to being put in an environment advanced for her years which are specific to her apparent “needs”. The distressing grandmother with no intentions of Mary ever being a child puts Frank and his tiny terror in a major custody battle. This summit jeopardizes the unconventional dynamic duo of Frank and Mary.

This is where the tear jerker scenes begin. When Frank and Mary are temporarily separated you are no more than certain to be holding your head horizontal fighting those tears back. As you subconsciously become a magnet to see their adult-like relationship evolve you feel a part of this film, indulging in the characters’ lives more than you had hoped. Audiences are expected to want to kick Evelyn (the grandmother) out of the situation and just watch the hilarious but intellectual relationship of Frank and Mary evolve.

Melodramatic with a smidgeon of humour puts Gifted as an easy to love film. The unconventional dynamic of Frank and Mary’s relationship engages with audiences to its full potential, stealing our hearts and leaving us with incompatible emotions. A film that doesn’t need a sequel but only the imagination of Mary’s future, the bright, toothless, hoot of a young girl fulfilling film enthusiasts every need of an outlet.

katrinasalvador • October 23, 2017


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