Brilliant and touching

A Disappointing Continuation

it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

I must say I was drawn in by the stellar cast of A-list actors from Kathy Bates and Ovtavia Spencer and Glenn Close who I haven't seen much of the last 20 years. Did not know who the lead actress Sophie Nelisse was but she was outstanding too. It was a tear-jerker for sure, from about the mid-point to the end, I was in tears and at times almost choked up with emotion. I highly recommend this movie for any family to watch as it deals with many issues of growing up, acceptance and rejection and ultimately seeing the value of family and friends. It's really all we have as human-beings and defines who we are ultimately.

"Both of us are smart and we know it. But the thing that brings us closer than intelligence is anger."Ready for another corny teen drama that'll move you to tears? One that has all the familiar clichés and where you'll know in advance how it will end? It's not a love story with a couple of lovebirds who first can't stand each other and in the end, in a moment of supreme bliss, they fall into each other's arms. It's also not a well-known story about a young criminal who's experiencing a drastic change of identity due to a certain trustworthy person and when he's converted he goes on a mission as a devout priest in poor Africa. No. This time it's a stubborn 12 year old girl (Sophie Nélisse) who changes foster homes one after the other because of her impossible behavior. Gilly Hopkins only has one wish. And that's to be reunited with her natural mother who left her behind while moving to San Francisco.Then one day she's assigned to the religious Maime Trotter (Kathy Bates), who's a model of kindness and masquerades as the supreme mother-hen. Gilly does everything to come across as hateful and impossible to handle. She closes herself off, disclaims each friendly treatment, she treats W.E. (Zachary Hernandez) in a denigrating way, imitates in a ridiculing manner Maime's use of affectionate words, makes no effort to integrate and even steals from the nice neighbor Mr. Randolph (Bill Cobbs). In school she tries to keep up this rebellious attitude. The first school day ends already in a fight with six fellow students, she snubs at a young girl (Clare Foley as Agnes) who approached her in a friendly way and she acts aloof during lessons. It seems as if Gilly is trying to provoke with her behavior so everybody gets angry at her.You could call her an obnoxious, disrespectful and rebellious teenage girl, to say the least. It amazes me that Kathy Bates hasn't tied her to a bed, pushed some logs under her legs and just like in "Misery" amputated her feet with a heavy ax. Despite Gilly's intense efforts to make Maime's (and others) life miserable, you can easily guess how she'll react when her wealthy grandmother Nonie Hopkins (Glenn Close) shows up and suggests to take care of her. That's the decisive moment when the rebellious girl breaks down emotionally and proves that deep down she truly has a human, sensitive heart. For most female viewers this is the right time to search for that handkerchief.Although it's clearly a film meant for a youthful audience, I wasn't annoyed by it constantly. The way Gilly tackled the bullies at school was highly amusing. And the used subject about a teenager who wants to be united again with her natural mother (the mother's motivation to leave her, shows that she didn't have real maternal feelings) felt kind of mature. Maybe it was sort of Dickension, but I could live with that. Also, the performances were very worthwhile. Kathy Bates played a brilliant part as the caring foster mother who sees the good in every person. Her love for the outcasts in our society is endless. Therefore the goodness to invite the lonely neighbor to dinner every day. Also a splendid rendition of Bill Cobbs. Finally, Sophie Nélisse who nevertheless delivers a superb performance. Although she doesn't look 12 and isn't really sympathetic due to her behavior. The only thing that struck me was her rather rapid change of personality. The transformation from a rebel to a loving teenager was rather abrupt. "The Great Gilly Hopkins" is a perfect family film to watch together with your (older) kids.More reviews here : http://bit.ly/1KIdQMT

Galadriel 'Gilly' Hopkins (Sophie Nélisse) is a bitter, smart foster kid. Her social worker Ellis warns her that this is her last chance before forced into a group institution. Her new foster mother Maime Trotter (Kathy Bates) is just as tough caring for troubled W.E. and blind neighbor Mr. Randolph (Bill Cobbs). Gilly gets into trouble at school right away. She rebels against her teacher Miss Harris (Octavia Spencer). Agnes is desperate to be her friend. She gets a postcard from her mother Courtney Hopkins (Julia Stiles) and dreams of reuniting with her. She writes to her grandmother Nonnie Hopkins (Glenn Close) lying about Maime Trotter in hopes of moving in with her mother in California. She even tries to run away.There are bits and pieces of humor. There are other bits and pieces of a heartfelt touching story. The lead Sophie Nélisse is a fine young actress. It's nice to see her continue after great work as a child actress in Monsieur Lazhar. This movie is populated by great actors. There are nicely-drawn characters and then the movie hits a speed bump. It may work for the book but it doesn't necessarily work as a movie. The audience has build up capital with these characters and they need to be around visually to reap the profits. The last act is fine but it feels emotionally empty when none of the earlier characters are around.

Main StorylineGilly (Sophie Nélisse) for a good portion of her life has gone from foster home to foster home due to her attitude. Now though she is with Ms. Trotter (Kathy Bates) and her new brother William Earnest, or W.E (Zachary Hernandez) for short. Both of them are nice, though W.E. is a bit shy, and they try to be welcoming. However, what Gilly wants is her mother to whisk her away and take her to wherever she is.HighlightsIt Grows on you: When we meet Gilly, I swear to you I was hoping Ms. Trotter was a "spare the rod spoil the child" type of Christian because the girl was asking to be slapped. She would pick with W.E., who seemingly came from an abusive home, she would make fun of the way Ms. Trotter talks, and let's not even go into how she treated others outside her home. Between stealing, damn near calling someone the N word to get a rise out of them, and fighting, she was a terror.However, after a certain point, she mellows out. She defends W.E., starts to get close to him, and even becomes friendly to this lonely girl at her school named Agnes (Clare Foley). Someone who seems so desperate for a friend she'd take Gilly's verbal abuse over the silence of being alone. With the transformation, you see the strength of the story and Nélisse's abilities as an actress. For even as Gilly mellows out, she still remains this sarcastic little brat. It is just she becomes a lovable one.Even When It Shifts Focus It Stays Good: As Ms. Trotter implies, life is tough but there is nothing like doing good on a tough job. Which is what Gilly has to go through as she is introduced to Nonnie (Glenn Close), her maternal grandmother. With this shift, you may think that a happy ending may come and it will all be a fairy tale. Alas, Katherine Paterson, who some may recognize as the writer of Bridge to Terabithia, isn't the type who does happy endings and avoids serious personal tragedies just because the focus is on children. No. All I'm going to say is expect to cry multiple times in this film if you are as sensitive as I am.On The FenceThe Life of W.E.: Quite honestly Mr. Hernandez could have stolen this movie from under everyone's nose if he wanted to. Nevermind he knows how to play up his cuteness, but being that we are told he came from an abusive environment, he plays to that backstory so well. Almost to the point, even though you'd probably end up dehydrated from crying, you kind of wish his story was told to us a bit more. Like Gilly finding his file or something.Overall: Positive (Worth Seeing)Forewarning: Gilly at first will be such a piece of work you may think this movie isn't worth it. However, as she begins to get close to people and starts opening up, oh she touches your heart. Especially as she bonds with W.E., this man named Mr. Randolph (Bill Cobbs) and even her grandmother. To the point, you will probably be fighting tears from how beautiful her transformation is. Especially as you start to learn about not just her, but these people around her and the struggles they have themselves with loss and other things. To the point that, at times, you almost wish when it came to Disney, Nickelodeon, and other networks which have kids entertainment, they would feature material like this. In a way, Girl Meets World does do that, but not as masterfully, and likely as consistently, as I feel something written by Katherine Paterson could.