A lovely drama about love and family, Gifted stars current Captain America Chris Evans as Frank, a single man in a coastal Florida town who is raising his extremely bright seven-year-old niece Mary (Grace) following the death of his sister.
Wanting a normal life for Mary, Frank enrols her in the local school, but soon her extraordinary mathematical abilities come to the attention of her teacher (Slate), which also brings Frank’s formidable mother Evelyn (Duncan) into their lives. And she has plans for her genius granddaughter that would involve uprooting Mary from her home and encouraging the maths talent she shares with her late mother.
While this loses its way slightly as the second half of the movie becomes a Kramer V Kramer style courtroom drama – ice queen Evelyn thinks she can provide Mary with a better life than Frank can and is prepared to fight him for custody – overall it is a really sweet tale that benefits from a laid-back performance from the likeable Evans.
However, the real star of the movie, and its heart and soul, is McKenna Grace (best known for her role as Kiefer Sutherland’s daughter in TV’s Designated Survivor), and it is her fierce performance that makes this a movie worth seeking out.
Is Gifted suitable for kids? Here are our parents’ notes...
This is a 12A certficate in the UK, PG-13 in the US, and is aimed at older children and adults.
There are brief references to sex and some swearing.
Parents should note that there are references to suicide (including a description of a character being found on the bathroom floor) that are not suitable and would upset children under 10.
There is a distressing scene where a child is taken to foster carers that may upset children.
One bullying character is hit in the face with a book.
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