The official student newspaper of The Hockaday School

The Fourcast

The official student newspaper of The Hockaday School

The Fourcast

The official student newspaper of The Hockaday School

The Fourcast

Fragments of beauty
In Focus
Fragments of beauty
Larkin Clouston and Elle Myers February 29, 2024

Opinion
February Staff Standoff: Valentine's Day
Alexa Muñoz and Danya Risam-Chandi February 27, 2024

Let Cupid Live - by Alexa Muñoz I have Valentine’s Day plans this year. And this is not the beginning of another malicious anti-Valentine’s...

Junior Jordan Lacsamana utilizes one of MBLs confocal lens microscopes as she observes squid embryos after staining them.
Features
Mastering marine biology
February 27, 2024

From dissections to monitoring fish tanks, the juniors and seniors who spent seven days at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woodshole,...

The DEI Divide
The DEI Divide
February 27, 2024
Lipstick and Ledgers
January 25, 2024

Gifted Heroine…Not Movie

Gifted+Heroine...Not+Movie

Most came for the Hollywood heavy-hitters such as “Captain America’s” Chris Evans and “The Help” actress, Octavia Spencer, but will leave loving a new young starlet, the precocious and brilliant Mckenna Grace.  

The movie sets place in a bright Florida city, with Frank (Chris Evans), who is raising his deceased sister’s child, Mary (Mckenna Grace). The two live in a shabby, one-bedroom home with a witty and loving neighbor, Roberta (Octavia Spencer). Although seemingly a happy, unconventional family, Mary, the 6-year-old is a math genius, following the footstep of her mother, a proclaimed Mathematician, who took her own life years before.

Mary’s grandmother Evelyn, a staunch, old British woman, on the other hand, has another plan for her grand-daughter’s future, and it involves lots of math and Macbook Pros. After some mild action and pounding of hands on walls, a lengthy legal battle ensues for good portion of the movie.     

Mary, the first grader, steals the show, as the other seasoned characters, Frank, Evelyn, and Mary’s annoyingly clingy teacher, fall flat. Her spunk and confidence makes you feel for her. Though she may be ten years younger than you, she is seven years ahead of you in math, and better than you in every way.   

Although the cute one-liners from a first grader in a 30 year-old mathematician’s body will keep you awake, some parts such as an extensive legal battle, walks through an empty city park and the constant repairing of boats, might make you want to fall asleep in your theatre chair.

With a 7.7/10 on IMDb and a 65% on Rotten Tomatoes, viewers characterize it as a “solid” and “straightforward” film, while some claim it is just an “emotional tear jerker” and “nothing more”. Grossing around $4 million in box office revenue domestically, it could have done much better, with a production cost of $7 million.

“Gifted’ is a sweet, sentimental movie to watch with your parents or when you want to bawl your eyes out for a solid 20 minutes, but its beachy settings and smooth guitar solos seem out of place with the constant mathematical jargon that bombard your ears for two hours.  

The ending is a little forced, but leaves you satisfied for the most part. In the end, you will leave feeling a little smarter, learning about new court room techniques and lingo, or just a little bit dumber, knowing that anything you can do, a 6- year-old can do better.

Commentaries are the expressed opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect that of The Fourcast staff, its adviser or any member of the Hockaday community.


– Paige Halverson – Castoff Editor

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

All The Fourcast Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *