GIFTED mixes up story tones –forces emotions - is loaded with clichéd characters - and is the victim of a wonky script gone awry. GIFTED is a toxic mix of Good Will Hunting and a failed TV pilot.
One dimensional characters litter the film like jellyfish in the Florida ocean. The main kid actor – who is a supposed mathematical genius, although otherwise perfectly normal as a child – desperately tries to come off as cute – but in doing so, fails miserably.
If the kid wasn't haltered (or misdirected) into an over the top Jerry Maguire "look how adorable I am" scenery chewing performer, she actually might have been endearing.
As bitter and condescending as I sound, GIFTED is made by a top tier team. The director, actors, and screenwriter are established players in Hollywood.
Still, filmmaker Marc Webb – who brought us the delightful 500 DAYS OF SUMMER – phones this one in big time. He shoots the whole picture hand-held - giving the story a stale mumblecore vibe. In my opinion, it's like producing Metallica's Enter Sandman as an N Sync Song. Or drizzling ice cream with olives and cheddar cheese. The evidence will speak for itself (**SPOILER ALERT**) – bonding scene with poorly improvised dialogue - sloppily combined with the Cat Stevens song "The Wind." There's plenty more of these agonizing instances, trust me.
Note to filmmakers: please don't use "The Wind" in your movie. It was done successfully by Wes Anderson in 1998. But, poor deployment of the song has subsequently poisoned many a film. Even Cameron Crowe fell into the trap when making the endearing ALMOST FAMOUS.
As with all my reviews, I never claim that I can create a better product. But, as a viewer, this is the overwhelming sentiment I received from GIFTED.
Ted's Grade: C/C-
One dimensional characters litter the film like jellyfish in the Florida ocean. The main kid actor – who is a supposed mathematical genius, although otherwise perfectly normal as a child – desperately tries to come off as cute – but in doing so, fails miserably.
If the kid wasn't haltered (or misdirected) into an over the top Jerry Maguire "look how adorable I am" scenery chewing performer, she actually might have been endearing.
As bitter and condescending as I sound, GIFTED is made by a top tier team. The director, actors, and screenwriter are established players in Hollywood.
Still, filmmaker Marc Webb – who brought us the delightful 500 DAYS OF SUMMER – phones this one in big time. He shoots the whole picture hand-held - giving the story a stale mumblecore vibe. In my opinion, it's like producing Metallica's Enter Sandman as an N Sync Song. Or drizzling ice cream with olives and cheddar cheese. The evidence will speak for itself (**SPOILER ALERT**) – bonding scene with poorly improvised dialogue - sloppily combined with the Cat Stevens song "The Wind." There's plenty more of these agonizing instances, trust me.
Note to filmmakers: please don't use "The Wind" in your movie. It was done successfully by Wes Anderson in 1998. But, poor deployment of the song has subsequently poisoned many a film. Even Cameron Crowe fell into the trap when making the endearing ALMOST FAMOUS.
As with all my reviews, I never claim that I can create a better product. But, as a viewer, this is the overwhelming sentiment I received from GIFTED.
Ted's Grade: C/C-