Begabt – Die Gleichung eines Lebens (2017)

Begabt – Die Gleichung eines Lebens: Directed by Marc Webb. With Chris Evans, Mckenna Grace, Lindsay Duncan, Octavia Spencer. Frank, a single man raising his child prodigy niece Mary, is drawn into a custody battle with his mother.

“I knew nothing about this film. Had seen no adds, heard no word of mouth, pretty much nothing. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI only found it only after tapping out the local AMC 24 and driving a few extra miles to see something new.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe premise was intriguing: What to do with a seven year old mathematical prodigy caught between a cozy, loving household occupied by her doting Uncle Frank and a one-eyed cat named Fred, and a challenging but cold academic world ready to pace her on mental treadmills for the rest of her life.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMcKenna Grace plays little Mary whou0026#39;s character is at the center of attention whether she likes it or not. Mostly not.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eGraceu0026#39;s performance does raise a few eye brows as she very convincingly plays a precocious and genius little girl plagued with boredom being surrounded by the dead-weight of average students she has nothing in common with.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn fact, Maryu0026#39;s personality is also far developed beyond her peers, exhibiting a sarcastic and jaded sense of humor more on par with a bunch of 40-year olds downing a shot or two after a particularly bad day at work.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAfter Maryu0026#39;s abilities are discovered by her first grade teacher, the inevitable battle for command of her future quickly unfolds.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOne very powerful supporting role is supplied by Lindsay Duncan who portrays Evelyn the Grandmother. Evelyn is a poised and proper Englishwoman armed with a titanium intellect few would want to challenge. As the legal proceedings unfold, Evelyn verbally fire-bombs the entire court room from the stand without batting an eye in her fight for custody of Mary.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHer arguments and assessments are hopelessly air-tight and seamless, leaving Uncle Frank and his lawyer scrambling.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFrank just wants Mary to be a little girl. Grandma wants to plug her into The Matrix. Who will win? u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026#39;Giftedu0026#39; is not without itu0026#39;s displays of some original laughs. My favorite was a scene in which little Mary discovers her Uncle Frank is sleeping with her 1st grade teacher, who one morning comes stumbling into the kitchen wearing only a towel.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eTheir reaction to each other is priceless.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs to why this production is flying under the radar with virtually no advertising or promotion is baffling.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe hour-and-a-half flew by for me and left me with an odd feeling it ended too soon. Aside from that, there was almost nothing wrong with this film, at least not that I could find.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWarm, unique and entertaining, u0026#39;Giftedu0026#39; should stay with you for days afterwards.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eA great family night movie.”