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In 2017, Chris Evans appeared before the audience in an unusual way: he took off his Captain America costume and played a simple guy who alone raises his niece after the death of his sister. The girl has only to go to school, and she is already able to solve complex equations that not every professor can handle.
The tape turned out to be excellent and we decided to collect 10 films and series similar to The Gifted. Chris Evans is not in them, but there are other star actors and an equally fascinating and kind story.
10 Mona Lisa Smile (2003)
Film “Mona Lisa Smileis a 2003 drama produced by Revolution Studios and Columbia Pictures in association with Red Om Films Productions. It was directed by Mike Newell, written by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal, and starring Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
The title is a reference to the Mona Lisa: a famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci, as well as a song of the same name, originally performed by Nat King Cole. For her work, Julia Roberts received a record-breaking $25 million (the biggest paycheck of her career).
The plot tells about a woman who has feminist views and works as a teacher. She leaves her boyfriend and takes a job at a conservative women’s college, teaching students that they are free to decide what to do and how to live. Considering that the events of the tape take place in the 50s of the last century, this theme plays with new colors.
9. Evelyn (2002)
Nine year old Evelyn Doyle (Sophie Vavasseur) and her two brothers, Maurice (Hugh McDonagh) and Dermot (Nile Biegun), are left alone when their mother abandons the family, leaving them with their alcoholic, unemployed father Desmond Doyle (Pierce Brosnan).
Desmond’s mother-in-law (Claire Mullan) reports this situation to the Irish authorities and the judge decides that the children cannot live with such a dad and sends them to orphanages under the patronage of the Catholic Church. The unfortunate dad has to go through seven circles of hell before he is allowed to return his children.
8. Looking for Bobby Fischer (1993)
Josh Waitzkin’s family discovers that he has a talent for chess and they seek to develop it. They hire strict instructor Bruce Pandolfini (played by Ben Kingsley), who aims to teach the boy to be as aggressive as chess legend Bobby Fischer.
The film’s title is a metaphor for the character’s desire to embrace Fisher’s ideal and his determination to win at all costs.
Josh is also heavily influenced by Vinnie (Laurence Fishburne), a speed chess lover he meets in Washington Square Park. He teaches the boy completely different things, so Josh will have to decide which of the trainers to listen to.
«Looking for Bobby Fischer“- an instructive picture with an interesting plot, perfect for thoughtful viewing.
7. Paying a Friend (2000)
Trevor (Haley Joel Osment) is starting 7th grade in Las Vegas. His social studies teacher Eugene Simonet (Kevin Spacey) challenges the class to develop and implement a plan that will change the world for the better.
Trevor’s Plan is a charity program based on building a network of good deeds. He calls his plan “pay another”, and its essence is that the recipient of the service does a favor for three others, and does not repay the debt to the one who provided this service to him. Thus, the boy expects to launch his network of good deeds around the world, and what will come of it you will learn from the film.
6. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
Film “Kramer vs. Kramer» about the struggle of a husband and wife for custody of their son explores the psychology and consequences of divorce and touches on prevailing or emerging social issues such as women’s rights, parental equality, work-life balance, etc.
The tape was released on December 19, 1979 and became a major commercial success: it earned $106,3 million on an $8 million budget, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1979 and receiving nine Oscar nominations at the 52nd Academy Awards. It won five awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (for Hoffman), Best Supporting Actress (for Meryl Streep) and Best Adapted Screenplay.
5. Replacement teacher (2011)
«Teacher for the change” is a chronicle of one month of the life of several teachers, administrators and high school students, through the eyes of a teacher named Henry Barth.
Bart’s transmission of vital knowledge to his temporary students is interrupted by the arrival of three women in his life – the spoiled and naive prostitute Erica, a fellow teacher, and a troubled teenager named Meredith. All of these women have a major impact on Bart’s life, forcing him to reconsider many aspects of his own personality and come to terms with both the tragic suicide of his mother and the impending death of his grandfather.
4. Akila Trial (2006)
In the dramaAkila’s Challengetells the story of Akeelah Anderson (Keke Palmer), an 11-year-old girl who competes in the National Spelling Olympiad, her mother (Angela Bassett), classmates and her coach, Dr. Joshua Larabee (Laurence Fishburne).
Despite her young age, Akila is very smart, but her life is full of problems: the death of her father, which her mother also cannot come to terms with, a difficult character, difficulties with her peers, etc. Preparation for the Olympics, which she first refused to participate in, help her understand herself and others.
3. Divorce in the big city (2012)
Six-year-old Macy (Onata Aprile) lives in a New York apartment with her parents, Suzanne (Julianne Moore), a singer in a rock band, and Beal, an international art dealer. Suzanne and Beal often argue with each other, ignoring Maisie and leaving her in the care of their nanny Margo (Joanna Vanderham).
Maisie doesn’t always understand her parents’ actions, such as when Suzanne hires a locksmith to change the lock on the apartment’s front door to keep Beal out. When they decide to separate, they get joint custody of Maisie.
After the divorce, Margo moves into Beal’s apartment and they soon marry. In response to her ex-husband’s new marriage, Susanna impulsively marries Lincoln (Alexander Skarsgård), a bartender she barely knows. Both parents believe that they are worthy of custody of their daughter, although in fact they are fighting for her only in order to annoy each other.
«Divorce in the big city“- this is a dramatic story about how slowly sometimes things that are obvious even for a child reach adults.
2. Treasure (2009)
The film tells the sad story of the life of a 16-year-old girl nicknamed “Treasure“. She is expelled from school, as she is pregnant for the second time and, moreover, cannot even read. Her mother constantly humiliates her, and her father rapes her from the age of 3. The first child with Down syndrome was born from him, the second pregnancy was also his work.
Fortunately, the girl will be able to meet people who will bring at least a little joy to her life, full of pain and suffering.
1. I am Sam (2001)
Sam Dawson (Sean Penn) is an intellectually disabled man who is a single father who is raising his daughter Lucy (Dakota Fanning) after their mother abandoned them. Sam is well adjusted to life, has many friends and a kind neighbor Annie (Dianne Wiest) who takes care of Lucy when Sam can’t.
Although Sam loves his daughter very much, there comes a time when he may lose custody of her, as the little girl becomes smarter than her adult but sick father. Not wanting to lose a child, the protagonist of the film “I am Sam“hires a lawyer (Michelle Pfeiffer), whose family is also not going smoothly.