The Great Gilly Hopkins (2016)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

This really is a good movie for the entire family when a flare for the dramatic is appreciated. The script is well written and directed. It's always a pleasure to watch Kathy Bates do her thing as she lights up the screen once again with a brilliant performance. Bill Cobbs didn't disappoint as this role seemed tailor made for him. Octavia Spencer, Julia Stiles, and Glenn Close as well as the rest of the cast did a terrific job--Bravo! I look forward to seeing more in the future from Zachary Hernandez, Clare Foley, and Sophie Ne'lisse. This part played by Sophie Ne'lisse was very impressive. Great job by this up and coming actress.

My wife and I watched this at home on Netflix streaming. It is a pleasant and entertaining movie about a bright teenage girl who is mad at the world because she remains separated from her mother.We don't get much of a backstory but Sophie Nélisse as Gilly Hopkins has been in a series of foster homes. She is very bright but angry because she feels the system is keeping her away from her mother. So she resists new friendships and learns ways to manipulate teachers and other authority figures. She also hates to see boys acting as bullies and can quickly kick and punch them into submission. Which she apparently has done on numerous occasions.We pick up the story when she is placed with Kathy Bates as Maime Trotter who never backs away from a challenge. After a series of learning experiences quite accidentally Gilly finds an address "last known address for her mother Courtney" (Julia Stiles) and writes a letter to that address. She explains how she is living with a religious fanatic who makes her do chores all the time and strangers come and go all night making it impossible to do her homework. It was all a lie, designed to get her out of there and with her mother. Instead it comes to the attention of her grandmother, Glenn Close as Nonnie Hopkins, and the system places Gilly with her grandmother.The coming-of-age moment for Gilly was when her mother showed up but it was clear after a minute that she didn't really want to be there, she had no interest in a relationship with her daughter. Gilly found herself wanting to be back with Trotter, realizing it was the only "home" she ever had. In the end Gilly, Trotter, Nonnie, and a few others learn how to make "family" where you have it.Good movie, first-rate acting.

The Great Gilly Hopkins is a beautiful, touching film that should have gotten more attention. Although a wonderful family film, I would guess it will get seen most in middle school classrooms doing a study on the book, which it follows very closely. It's not without some rough edges- -there is some language and behavior that may not be to every parent's liking, but I appreciated that it made an effort to show how a real person might react in her situation. I will say the book told this story more effectively--several scenes had more impact as written, and I felt a much greater sense of urgency in the final scene of the book than I did watching the film. Even so, I think that it's a story that will hook viewers in and keep them invested right to the end. Without being manipulative or delving into false sentiment, The Great Gilly Hopkins made me care about its characters and had me choked up more than once before it was through.

If you're looking for a movie to watch with your family, then this is the one. The Great Gilly Hopkins is an entertaining family movie for both adults & kids. With its dramatic & funny moments, it teaches the audience the importance of relationships, and what it takes to form a real family. The movie focuses on the life of Gilly Hopkins, a foster kid who's in a journey to find her real family, moving from a foster home to another, in search for her biological mother. That's until she meets her new foster mother, Maime Trotter, then her relationship with people in that community, from family members to teachers & friends, evolves with time into friendship, respect, and compassion. She ends up finding what she was always looking for, after learning that it takes love, esteem, and care to form a real family.My only complaint about this movie is that the story lacked depth, and the events were too straightforward. Overall, it was above average. So if you're looking for something entertaining & simple, then this is it.