Gifted
2017 · Directed by Marc Webb
Woke Score
CriticCritic Score
Audience
Ultra Based
Critics rated this 52 points above its woke score. Among Ultra Based films, this critic score ranks #899 of 1469.
Representation Casting
Score: 35/100
The cast includes Octavia Spencer, Glenn Plummer, and other actors of color in supporting roles. However, the casting appears organic to the story rather than serving an explicit diversity agenda, and these characters are not centered in the narrative.
LGBTQ+ Themes
Score: 0/100
No LGBTQ+ themes, characters, or representation present in the film. The narrative contains no engagement with sexual orientation or gender identity.
Feminist Agenda
Score: 15/100
Jenny Slate appears as a love interest character, but the film does not advance feminist ideology. The primary antagonist is a controlling mother figure, which could be read as commentary on maternal authority, but this is not framed in explicitly feminist terms.
Racial Consciousness
Score: 0/100
Characters of color exist in the story but without commentary on race or racial dynamics. The film does not engage with systemic racism or racial consciousness as part of its thematic framework.
Climate Crusade
Score: 0/100
No climate change themes, environmental consciousness, or climate advocacy present in the film.
Eat the Rich
Score: 0/100
The film contains no critique of capitalism, wealth inequality, or systemic economic structures. It does not engage with anti-capitalist ideology.
Body Positivity
Score: 0/100
No body positivity themes, discussions of body image, or commentary on physical appearance standards present in the film.
Neurodivergence
Score: 5/100
The film centers on a mathematically gifted child, but giftedness is not framed as neurodivergence or disability activism. The child's exceptional abilities are treated as a plot device rather than a social justice issue.
Revisionist History
Score: 0/100
The film contains no reinterpretation of historical events or revisionist historical narratives.
Lecture Energy
Score: 10/100
While the film contains some dialogue about education philosophy and parenting approaches, it does not employ heavy-handed preachy messaging or lecture-like exposition typical of high lecture energy films.
Synopsis
Frank, a single man raising his child prodigy niece Mary, is drawn into a custody battle with his mother.
Consciousness Assessment
Gifted presents itself as an earnest family drama concerned with questions of parental authority, educational philosophy, and the proper rearing of exceptional children. The film's engagement with contemporary progressive sensibilities amounts to modest diversity of casting and a vague sense that institutional authority figures may be wrong. Chris Evans plays a blue-collar single uncle with a rescue dog and a suspicion of formal education, positioning himself against his controlling mother and her institutional allies. This is presented as humanistic rather than ideological. The film contains no discernible climate commentary, no systematic critique of capitalism, and no engagement with the language of modern social justice discourse that would mark it as culturally contemporary. Octavia Spencer delivers a competent supporting performance as a sympathetic school principal, but her presence registers as character casting. The narrative centers on individual conflict and family dynamics, not systemic structures. A film about a problem, not a film about problems.
Analysis generated by our Consciousness Algorithm
Critic Reviews
“Gifted isn’t the best or most sophisticated or most original film of the year so far — but it just might be my favorite.”
“Comparisons to the classic 1979 Oscar winner "Kramer vs. Kramer" are inevitable. But Gifted stands on its own because it feels more like reality than a Hollywood take on family crisis.”
“In its details, in its characters and their relationships, in the unfolding of its story, and even in the delicacy of its filming, Gifted rises above cynical expectation. Far from a canned piece of work, it feels sincere and inspired.”
“The resolution of that conflict is dishonestly implausible, thus ruining a perfectly mediocre movie. The worst of it is that Fred the one-eyed cat was probably winking at us the whole time.”
Consciousness Markers
The cast includes Octavia Spencer, Glenn Plummer, and other actors of color in supporting roles. However, the casting appears organic to the story rather than serving an explicit diversity agenda, and these characters are not centered in the narrative.
No LGBTQ+ themes, characters, or representation present in the film. The narrative contains no engagement with sexual orientation or gender identity.
Jenny Slate appears as a love interest character, but the film does not advance feminist ideology. The primary antagonist is a controlling mother figure, which could be read as commentary on maternal authority, but this is not framed in explicitly feminist terms.
Characters of color exist in the story but without commentary on race or racial dynamics. The film does not engage with systemic racism or racial consciousness as part of its thematic framework.
No climate change themes, environmental consciousness, or climate advocacy present in the film.
The film contains no critique of capitalism, wealth inequality, or systemic economic structures. It does not engage with anti-capitalist ideology.
No body positivity themes, discussions of body image, or commentary on physical appearance standards present in the film.
The film centers on a mathematically gifted child, but giftedness is not framed as neurodivergence or disability activism. The child's exceptional abilities are treated as a plot device rather than a social justice issue.
The film contains no reinterpretation of historical events or revisionist historical narratives.
While the film contains some dialogue about education philosophy and parenting approaches, it does not employ heavy-handed preachy messaging or lecture-like exposition typical of high lecture energy films.