Chris Evans can't spend all of his time in a Captain America suit. His career would get boring after a while. So next year, audiences will be able to see Evans squaring off, not with Iron Man, but with Lindsay Duncan over the fate of his niece, who's a bona-fide genius. Here's the first trailer for Marc Webb's Gifted.
Yep, I said Marc Webb. Which means Captain America is working with the guy who brought two Amazing Spider-Man movies to the big screen, only they are collaborating on a non-Marvel movie that looks like a heartwarming, emotional struggle of a family drama that likely will find its audience in April. In Gifted, Chris Evans plays Frank Adler, a single man raising his sister's daughter, Mary (Mckenna Grace of Dog With A Blog and Independence Day: Resurgence) after the sibling passes away. Two things happen that push the narrative forward. First, Mary's teacher (played by Jenny Slate in a rare dramatic role) notices that Mary is MUCH smarter than she's supposed to be at her age. Second, likely a result of this discovery, Frank's estranged mom (Lindsay Duncan) comes back into the picture, causing legal troubles for Evans' well-intentioned dude.
Gifted works off of a Black List script by Tom Flynn, and looks to tug at all of the usual emotional chords as it plays its dramatic serenade. Chris Evans and young Mckenna Grace appear to have bankable chemistry, meaning that we'll all boo loudly when Lindsay Duncan tries to use the courts to separate them. Evans' character claims he's trying to raise the girl the way his sister would have preferred... normal, and not a prodigy kept on a shelf. But in the process of doing that, is Frank depriving Mary of an advanced life she might be destined to lead? It's in that gray area where we expect Gifted to find its real spark.
A little clichéd and predictable? On the surface, yes, but this cast along with Marc Webb's direction keep us interested. I like how they sell Gifted as being from the director of 500 Days (of Summer). Which is true. But no Spider-Man mention? Chris Evans is a great actor, even outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he'll be supported by Jenny Slate and Octavia Spencer. Always welcome. Gifted reaches theaters on April 12, 1017, where it will compete against Vin Diesel and The Rock's Fast 8. Oh my.
