| Gifted | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Marc Webb |
| Written by | Tom Flynn |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Stuart Dryburgh |
| Edited by | Bill Pankow |
| Music by | Rob Simonsen |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Fox Searchlight Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 101 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $7 million |
| Box office | $43 million |
Gifted is a 2017 Americandrama film directed byMarc Webb and written by Tom Flynn. It starsChris Evans,Mckenna Grace,Lindsay Duncan,Jenny Slate andOctavia Spencer.
The plot follows anintellectually gifted seven-year-old who becomes the subject of a custody battle between her maternal uncle and maternal grandmother.
The film was released on April 7, 2017, byFox Searchlight Pictures, and grossed $43 million worldwide. At the23rd Critics' Choice Awards, Grace was nominated forBest Young Actor/Actress. The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances of Evans and Grace, but noted its predictability.
InSt. Petersburg, Florida, seven-year-old Mary Adler, a mathematicalgenius, lives with her uncle andde facto guardian, Frank. Her best friend is her 43-year-old neighbor, Roberta Taylor. Frank, a formerphilosophy professor and now boat mechanic, feels strongly that Mary should attend a normal elementary school so she can have a normal childhood.
In first grade, Mary shows remarkable mathematical talent, which impresses her teacher, Ms. Stevenson. It emerges that Mary's mother, Diane, had been a promisingmathematician, dedicated to theNavier–Stokes problem (one of the unsolvedMillennium Prize Problems) before taking her own life when Mary was six months old. Mary has lived with Frank ever since.
Despite Mary's initial disdain for average children her own age, and her boredom with their classwork, she begins to bond with them when she brings her one-eyed cat, Fred, forshow-and-tell. Later, she defends a classmate from a bully on the school bus. The principal, having discovered Mary's math talent, encourages Frank to send Mary to aprivate school forgifted children, offering the opportunity of a scholarship. Frank turns it down, based on his family's experiences with similar schools.
The principal contacts Frank's estranged mother and Mary's maternal grandmother, Evelyn. Evelyn, a former mathematician herself, believes that people with capabilities such as Mary's have an obligation to use their talents to further help society, and feels that Mary should be specially tutored in preparation for a life devoted to mathematics, as Diane was. But Frank is adamant that his sister would want Mary to be in a normal school and have the childhood she did not have.
Evelyn sues Frank for fullcustody. While she is on the stand in court, it is revealed that not only did Evelynhomeschool Diane, she kept her socially isolated, so that she could be completely focused on mathematics. When Diane and her teenage boyfriend ran away to a ski resort, Evelyn filed a lawsuit and threatened to charge him withkidnapping, forcing him to cut ties with Diane. Diane attempted suicide for the first time shortly after, something Evelyn argues was an isolated incident. When Frank takes the stand, he admits working at a low-paying job without health insurance. His lawyer, worried that the judge will side with Evelyn due to her financial resources, convinces Frank to take a deal orchestrated by Evelyn's lawyer.
Mary is placed infoster care, where she can attend the private school. Evelyn waits until her 12th birthday, when she will be able to decide where she wants to live. The foster parents live near Frank, and he is entitled to scheduled visits. Mary is devastated and refuses to see Frank when he tries to visit. Thanks to a tip from Ms. Stevenson, Frank rescues Mary's cat Fred from the pound moments before he is about to be put down. Frank realizes that Evelyn, who is allergic to cats, is overseeing Mary's education in the guest house of thefoster home.
Frank goes to the foster home and reconciles with Mary. He informs Evelyn that Diane had completed the Navier–Stokes problem, but left instructions for Frank not to publish the solution until after Evelyn's death, revealing Diane's deep resentment towards her mother. Frank offers Evelyn the opportunity to publish Diane's work if she drops her custody case, to which she reluctantly agrees. Mary is placed back in Frank's custody, living a normal public-school childhood while taking college-level courses in her spare time.
In December 2014, Tom Flynn's screenplay was one of the 70 to make that year'sBlack List.[2] In August 2015, it was announcedChris Evans had been cast in the film, withMarc Webb directing.[3] In September 2015,Mckenna Grace,Octavia Spencer,Lindsay Duncan andJenny Slate joined the cast,[4][5] and in November 2015,Julie Ann Emery was also added.[6]
Filming began in October 2015 inSavannah, Georgia, as well as inTybee Island, Georgia,[7] and finished in November 2015. Specific locations included May Howard Elementary School inWilmington Island, Georgia andEmory University inAtlanta.[8]
Although the film is set inSt. Petersburg, Florida, Flynn was unable to convince the producers to film in Florida, because the state was no longer providing financial incentives to movie makers; that made Georgia a more financially viable option.[9]
MathematicianJordan Ellenberg, who was himself a child prodigy, was a mathematics consultant for the film;[10] Webb contacted him after reading his article[11] inThe Wall Street Journal and asked him to share his experiences.[12] Ellenberg also cameos as a professor lecturing on thepartition function andRamanujan's congruences.[12][13]
The film was scheduled to be released on April 12, 2017, but was pushed up to April 7, 2017.[14]
Gifted grossed $24.8 million domestically (United States and Canada), and $18.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $43.1 million, against a budget of $7 million.[15] It had a very limited release (56 screens) its first weekend, finishing No. 16 at the domestic box office, then expanded intowide release, spending the next four weekends in the Top 10.[16]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 73% of 181 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "Gifted isn't quite as bright as its pint-sized protagonist, but a charming cast wrings respectably engaging drama out of a fairly predictable premise."[17]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 60 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[18] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[19]
Colin Covert of theStar Tribune gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, saying, "Sure, it's a simple, straightforward film, but sometimes that's all you need as long as its heart is true."[20] On Evans' performance,Owen Gleiberman ofVariety said, "Chris Evans, abashed and rumpled, with a grease monkey's can't-be-bothered-to-shave beard, gives an engaged performance, exuding a homespun warmth we haven't seen in the "Captain America" films."[21]Richard Roeper gave the film 4 out of 4 stars and said, "Gifted isn't the best or most sophisticated or most original film of the year so far – but it just might be my favorite."[22]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teen Choice Awards | August 13, 2017 | Choice Movie: Drama | Gifted | Nominated | [23] |
| Choice Movie Actor: Drama | Chris Evans | Nominated | |||
| Deauville American Film Festival | September 1, 2017 | Public's choice award | Gifted | Won | [24] |
| Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards | December 17, 2017 | Breakthrough Performance | Mckenna Grace | Won | [25] |
| Best Performance by a Youth | Won | ||||
| The Overlooked Film of the Year | Gifted | Won | |||
| Women Film Critics Circle Awards | December 17, 2017 | Best Young Actress | Mckenna Grace | Nominated | [26] |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | January 11, 2018 | Best Young Actor/Actress | Nominated | [27] | |
| NAACP Image Awards | January 15, 2018 | Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture | Octavia Spencer | Won | [28] |
Since Florida lawmakers put a stop to offering film incentives, productions, like "Gifted", have been forced to head north in search of a better deal.
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