Gifted

The basics of this, a story of a guy who looks after his niece after her mother's suicide, and how her emergence as a mathematical prodigy presents problems in trying to raise her, seems like it should be a bit of a soggy soppy mess. Certainly the dice are somewhat loaded (our hero is a Florida native who works as a boat repairman, while his mother is a wealthy and cold academic - so cold that she's played by a British actress), and the inclusion of a cute cat, but the film is not a simple illustration of "down home values good, intellectual pursuits bad". It does open up the challenge of trying to raise a child in the best way possible, in full knowledge that there are thousands of ways to go wrong and relatively few ways to go right, and what exploring someone's full capabilities really means. Performances are pretty strong - Chris Evans is a naturally sympathetic lead, Jenny Slate feels realistically like a primary school teacher while also being an independent adult, and Lindsay Duncan gets beyond the cliche of demon-mother as someone with her own vulnerabilities and issues.  Yes, there is a somewhat unlikely correlation of mathematical ability and genetics, but never the less this is a gentle film that feels right and real and true.