Gilly Hopkins – Eine wie keine (2015)

Gilly Hopkins – Eine wie keine: Directed by Stephen Herek. With Sophie Nélisse, Kathy Bates, Glenn Close, Octavia Spencer. 12-year-old wisecracking Gilly Hopkins finds herself shuffled from foster home to foster home until she meets Maime Trotter.

“u0026quot;Both of us are smart and we know it. But the thing that brings us closer than intelligence is anger.u0026quot;u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eReady for another corny teen drama thatu0026#39;ll move you to tears? One that has all the familiar clichés and where youu0026#39;ll know in advance how it will end? Itu0026#39;s not a love story with a couple of lovebirds who first canu0026#39;t stand each other and in the end, in a moment of supreme bliss, they fall into each otheru0026#39;s arms. Itu0026#39;s also not a well-known story about a young criminal whou0026#39;s experiencing a drastic change of identity due to a certain trustworthy person and when heu0026#39;s converted he goes on a mission as a devout priest in poor Africa. No. This time itu0026#39;s a stubborn 12 year old girl (Sophie Nélisse) who changes foster homes one after the other because of her impossible behavior. Gilly Hopkins only has one wish. And thatu0026#39;s to be reunited with her natural mother who left her behind while moving to San Francisco.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThen one day sheu0026#39;s assigned to the religious Maime Trotter (Kathy Bates), whou0026#39;s a model of kindness and masquerades as the supreme mother-hen. Gilly does everything to come across as hateful and impossible to handle. She closes herself off, disclaims each friendly treatment, she treats W.E. (Zachary Hernandez) in a denigrating way, imitates in a ridiculing manner Maimeu0026#39;s use of affectionate words, makes no effort to integrate and even steals from the nice neighbor Mr. Randolph (Bill Cobbs). In school she tries to keep up this rebellious attitude. The first school day ends already in a fight with six fellow students, she snubs at a young girl (Clare Foley as Agnes) who approached her in a friendly way and she acts aloof during lessons. It seems as if Gilly is trying to provoke with her behavior so everybody gets angry at her.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eYou could call her an obnoxious, disrespectful and rebellious teenage girl, to say the least. It amazes me that Kathy Bates hasnu0026#39;t tied her to a bed, pushed some logs under her legs and just like in u0026quot;Miseryu0026quot; amputated her feet with a heavy ax. Despite Gillyu0026#39;s intense efforts to make Maimeu0026#39;s (and others) life miserable, you can easily guess how sheu0026#39;ll react when her wealthy grandmother Nonie Hopkins (Glenn Close) shows up and suggests to take care of her. Thatu0026#39;s the decisive moment when the rebellious girl breaks down emotionally and proves that deep down she truly has a human, sensitive heart. For most female viewers this is the right time to search for that handkerchief.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAlthough itu0026#39;s clearly a film meant for a youthful audience, I wasnu0026#39;t annoyed by it constantly. The way Gilly tackled the bullies at school was highly amusing. And the used subject about a teenager who wants to be united again with her natural mother (the motheru0026#39;s motivation to leave her, shows that she didnu0026#39;t have real maternal feelings) felt kind of mature. Maybe it was sort of Dickension, but I could live with that. Also, the performances were very worthwhile. Kathy Bates played a brilliant part as the caring foster mother who sees the good in every person. Her love for the outcasts in our society is endless. Therefore the goodness to invite the lonely neighbor to dinner every day. Also a splendid rendition of Bill Cobbs. Finally, Sophie Nélisse who nevertheless delivers a superb performance. Although she doesnu0026#39;t look 12 and isnu0026#39;t really sympathetic due to her behavior. The only thing that struck me was her rather rapid change of personality. The transformation from a rebel to a loving teenager was rather abrupt. u0026quot;The Great Gilly Hopkinsu0026quot; is a perfect family film to watch together with your (older) kids.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMore reviews here : http://bit.ly/1KIdQMT”