Gifted charms in a predictable way

Movie Title:  Gifted 

Grade:  A-

Rating:  PG-13, 101 minutes

In a Nutshell:  This quick-witted film charms and pulls tears out of your eyes.  Directed by Marc Wed (The Amazing Spider-Man 2), takes a look at parenting especially gifted children and trying to find a balance for a happy life.

Uplifting theme: 

• Love, family, loyalty
• It’s ok to be a child and not grow up too fast.
• Even Einstein learned how to ride a bike.

Things I liked:

• McKenna Grace is fantastic as the brilliant Mary.  She has a bright future in Hollywood, if she wants it.
• Captain America!  I love Chris Evans in anything.
• Octavia Spencer is always a sure win.  She was recently in Hidden Figures, a wonderful movie about some other females who are great at math.  Maybe this film can help girls to start thinking more about how cool math is.
• We heard Jenny Slate's unique voice in Zootopia, but this time we get to see her too.  She's irresistible.
• The scene in the hospital was really touching.  That was a brilliant idea Frank had.
• I thought it was adorable seeing Mary sit in a college math class wearing her little Brownie outfit.  I was a Brownie when I was her age.  Um….that’s pretty much where the similarities end.  Ha ha
• Nice soundtrack.
• I loved the sunset beach scene where Mary is climbing up Frank, like little kids do, while they have a conversation.  Their relationship is really sweet.
• This reminded me of Jodie Foster’s old movie Little Man Tate that is also about a child prodigy.  It also has elements of Searching for Bobby Fischer in case you’d like to watch a couple of other movies that have similar themes.
• Fred.  I thought it was great that they featured a “defective” pet and I got a kick out of all the loving one-eyed cat jokes they made about their beloved cat.

Things I didn’t like:

• Deadbeat dad.  They make me so furious.
• I always think it’s weird when kids call their parents by their first names instead of “Mom” or “Dad”.
• Pretty predictable ending, although there is a little twist I thought was interesting.
• Evelyn’s character seems a little too one-dimensional.

Funny lines:

• “I dunno.  Try being a kid.” – Frank (Chris Evans)
• “If anyone takes that baby away, I’ll smother you in your sleep.” – Roberta (Octavia Spencer)
• “Fred’s not a killer.  He’s a lover.” – Mary (McKenna Grace)
• “If we separate our leaders, if we segregate them from people like you and me, you get….Congressmen.” – Frank
• “I’d kill a priest for a Benadryl.” – Evelyn (Lindsay Duncan)    I can relate.  My allergies this year have been INSANE!
• “Manufacturers of Legos should all be in jail.” – Frank  (I can relate to that one too.  I stepped on a million Lego pieces while raising my 4 sons.
• “Frank says I’m not supposed to correct older people.  Nobody likes a smart-ass.” – Mary
• “I don’t watch TV, but I got hooked on Sponge Bob.” – Mary
• “Foster people….they can watch Sitcoms with her, take her to Olive Garden, teach her to say ‘irregardless’…”  - Evelyn         I had to laugh at that because I’m such a grammar Nazi.
• “You drive like an old lady.” – Mary

“It’s Florida.  I’m blending in.” – Frank

Interesting lines:

• “Never get on the bad side of small-minded people who have a little authority.” – Evelyn
• “What about Jesus?” – Mary

“Love that guy.  Do what he says.” – Frank

• “It doesn’t count if it’s not eye to eye.” - Frank, referring to apologies

Tips for parents: 

• Some profanity, including one F-bomb.  I especially hate it when little kids swear in movies.
• Pre-marital relations.
• It’s an interesting look at how parents with gifted children need to balance those gifts and provide appropriate education levels with just being a little kid.
• There are no explosions or huge action scenes, so some kids may be bored.  It’s one of those “talking” movies, which I love, but it may not keep some kids engaged long enough.

MOVIE REVIEW MOM

@trinaboice 

Genius is for book lovers

Movie Title:    Genius

Grade:  A-

Rating:  PG-13, 104 minutes

In a Nutshell:  

I'm an official book nerd, so I really liked this movie. 

As an author of 21 published books, I was fascinated with the working relationship between the 20th-century "genius" writer Thomas Wolfe and his famous book editor Maxwell Perkins.  

Based on the biography “Max Perkins: Editor of Genius” by A. Scott Berg, this stylish film is beautifully shot and has some gorgeous vignettes in almost every scene.

In a summer full of remakes and loud explosions, this period piece will hit you in the heart, not over the head.  It was fascinating to watch Thomas Wolfe and his editor create better sentences together. As you watch the film unfold, ask yourself: Which man was the true genius?

Uplifting theme: 

• “Human beings aren’t fiction.” – Aline Bernstein (Nicole Kidman)
• I loved the conversation Tom and Max had about the importance of stories.  Tom saw the people struggling during the Great Depression in America and decided that what he wrote was trivial in comparison to what they were dealing with in their lives.  Max explained that in the beginning of time, when people would gather around the fire at night to get protection from the howling wolves around them, someone would begin to talk and tell a story.  The stories gave them comfort so they wouldn’t be afraid of the dark.  Tom puts his head on Max's shoulder and breathes a sigh of gratitude and understanding.  Sweet moment.
• The creative process is messy!
• Words are powerful things.
• Transformative relationships and friendships.

Things I liked:

• For those who are unfamiliar with Thomas Wolfe, you’ll get to hear snatches of some of his beautiful work.
• Jude Law gives an excellent performance.
• It was fun to watch Max interact with other famous writers he discovered like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway.
• There are some really clever, funny, insightful conversations.
• The cast is absolutely terrific: Colin Firth, Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Laura Linney, Guy Pearce, Dominic West.
• The musical score was very understated, yet extremely powerful when it needed to be.  Nice job.
• It’s hard to show someone writing on paper look exciting on the Big Screen, but it works in this stirring film.
• It was fun to watch Max's family listening to the radio in the 1920’s with everyone gathered in the family room, on the couches, on the floor, letting their imaginations run wild.
• Director Michael Grandage is a Tony Award winner who is now bringing his magic to the movies.  Welcome!
• John Logan is an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter who brought us Gladiator, The Aviator, Hugo, and Skyfall.  I loved all of those films.

Things I didn’t like:

• Max wears his hat indoors and outdoors, in almost every scene he is in.  Am I missing some kind of deep symbolism?  Was it supposed to illustrate his own quirky mania that each of his writers possessed?
• The movie uncovers the inner turmoil that some of the greatest writers of the early 20^th century endured.  Most popcorn-crunching, action-seeking audiences won’t be able to sit through such a movie. 
• Watching this movie may feel a little bit like reading one of Thomas Wolfe's books...long winded, but worth the effort.
• Some viewers describe the relationship between Tom and Max as a bromance, but it's more of a father/son relationship that is complicated like normal father/son relationships.
• The movie poster could have been so much more compelling.

Interesting lines:

• “It’s not the page count that matters; it’s the storytelling.” – Max
• “I hate to see the words go!” – Thomas
• “They’re working girls.  It doesn’t count.” – Tom
• “Yes, Tom.  It does.” – Max
• “Editors should be anonymous.” – Max
• “That’s what makes editors lose sleep.  Are we really making books better?  Or are we just making them different?” – Max Perkins
• “I don’t exist anymore.  I’ve been…edited.” –  Aline Bernstein
• “Enjoy the time with Tom.  Because after him, there is a great hush.” – Aline Bernstein
• “Am I supposed to grow up like you?” – Tom

“No, Tom.  But you’re supposed to grow up.” - Max

Funny lines:

• “Good that Tolstoy never met you!  We’d have that great novel ‘War and Nothing.’" - Thomas

Tips for parents:   

• Children and most teens are going to be bored.
• Thomas Wolfe is a loud and obnoxious drunk during most of the movie.  In one scene, he kisses some "working girls."