Chris Evans starred this movie as Frank living with his niece portrayed by Mckenna Grace as Mary.
Mary does not want to go to school and just continue homeschooling with Frank but the later refuses since he already taught everything to Mary and he wanted Mary to experience socializing with others and gain friends.
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At school, Mary got bored over the first grade Math with her teacher Bonnie (Jenny Slate). Bonnie started to give difficult arithmetic questions where Mary answers correctly. After the recess, Bonnie asked the principal to have a walk-in observation of Bonnie’s class. As soon as the principal entered the room, Mary asked her to call Frank because she wanted to go home.
After the class, Bonnie talked to Frank about the incident and told him that Mary is a gifted child. Frank simply replied that he taught Mary about Trachtenberg Method and walked away.
Screenshot from the movie |
Bonnie do research about the said method and found out that Mary’s mom Diane was a Math genius and working for Millennium Prize problems on the Navier-Stokes Equation before she took her own life. Since then, Frank took the responsibility of caring Mary.
One day on a school bus, Mary saw a bullying incident. She stands up and breaks the nose of the senior student. The principal called Frank to the school and tells him that Mary can get a full ride at the school for the gifted nearby. Frank refuses the offer for he just wants Mary to have a normal childhood. The principal called Evelyn, Frank’s mother.
Evelyn was a rich, bossy Englishwoman who has opposite ideas with Frank. She soon appeared at Frank’s home and met Mary for the first time. She wanted to get Mary and bring her to Boston where Frank disagreed which lead to the court.
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In the series of court hearings, the conflict between Frank and Evelyn continue. They found out that Evelyn was disappointed with Diane for being weak in completing the Millenium Prize problem, Frank giving up his professorship at Boston University, and her husband disrupting her career.
Instead of accusing something, Frank simply insist that he wanted Mary to become a normal child, which can be forbidden if she will stay with Evelyn.
In the end, Evelyn wanted to put Mary under foster care near Frank’s house and make her go to school for the gifted. Frank agreed but suspected that Evelyn was still with Mary in the foster family’s home.
Screenshot from the movie |
Frank rushed to the house and throws a file in the table and tells Evelyn she must see it. Mary runs outside but she was caught by Frank and ask for forgiveness. Mary hugs him and asked not to leave her again.
Screenshot from the movie |
Evelyn was about to call the attorney but he stopped when she saw the file that it was the complete solution for the Navier-Stokes Equation. This was given to Frank by Diane and asked him to publish only after Evelyn dies. Frank told Evelyn that she can already publish it but will leave Mary alone or else, he will get it back and will stick with Diane’s instruction. In tears, Evelyn takes the deal.
At the end, Mary attended morning classes in the university and the elementary schools in the afternoon.
What I learned from the story is that however bright or genius they are, kids are still kids and they should experience being one.
Have you seen this movie too?