The
Great Gilly Hopkins (2016/Lionsgate DVD)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: C Film: B+
Galadriel
'Gilly' Hopkins (Sophie Nelisse) has been constantly bounced around
the foster care system, but she always believed that one day she
would be reunited with her real mother. She also believes by being a
bad girl, she would be tossed out by her foster family and eventually
reunited with her birth mother. However, she is in for some tough
love when she comes under the care of Miss Trotter (Kathy Bates) and
has plans to escape her new 'foster' family, but when her plan
backfires Gilly will have to decide what is more important ...to be
reunited with her mother or a chance to find a real family?
In
Stephen Herek's The Great Gilly Hopkins (2016), we find Gilly
a young tough as nails tomboy who hates the foster care system and
believes finding her real mother will lead to her 'happily ever
after'. She comes to live with Miss Trotter and another special
education orphan W.E. (Zackary Hernandez), along with their blind
neighbor Mr. Randolph (Bill Cobbs) and her teacher Miss Harris
(Octavia Spencer) they try to teach and reform Gilly. Gilly steals
money to buy a ticket to find her mother, but when she is caught, she
realizes her actions have consequences and the foster systems
threatens to tear apart Miss Trotter's family.
This
was a heartwarming movie about foster families, kids and learning to
love others. It is hard for kids to understand why their parents
gave them up, much less believe their real father and mother don't
love them, they have their reasons... but it wasn't enough. It
raises the question is it better to tell the truth to children or to
give them false hope? In the end, bonds of family and love doesn't
always depend on blood. Glenn Close, Julia Stiles and Billy
Magnussen also star.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image and lossy Dolby Digital 5.1
mix are as good as they can be in this format. Extras include making
of the film and trailers.
-
Ricky Chiang
