Gifted (12A)
three stars
Dir: Marc Webb
With: Chris Evans, McKenna Grace
Runtime: 101mins
MARC Webb swaps the super-powers of Spider-Man for the special gifts of a maths genius in this endearing, if manipulative, comedy-drama. Chris Evans, also taking time out from superhero duty, stars as a man fighting to retain custody of his seven-year-old niece after her gift for maths is discovered by a success-driven grandmother driven to realise her potential at the expense of her childhood. Guided by strong performances, especially from young McKenna Grace, Webb’s film is clichéd at times, and cloying at others, but packs enough of an emotional punch to make you care. It’s a welcome return to the kind of form Webb first exhibited with (500) Days of Summer.
Whitney: Can I Be Me? (15)
two stars
Dir: Nick Broomfield
With: Whitney Houston, David Roberts
Runtime: 105mins
HER death may have been attributed to drug and alcohol abuse, but singer Whitney Houston actually died from a broken heart, according to a member of her entourage in Nick Broomfield’s Can I Be Me? Using new interviews and archive material, the British director attempts to show how various personal tragedies ultimately contributed to her demise. But while accusations fly thick and fast from friends and colleagues, including Houston’s real-life former bodyguard David Roberts, Broomfield himself fails to put anyone really on the spot. The result is a film that paints a familiar picture of the pitfalls of fame, but one that feels superficial rather than revelatory.
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