Gigi & Nate

So, it's cloudy and raining here in Southwest Michigan this Sunday of Labor Day weekend and we decided to go to the movies. Checked out Rotten Tomatoes. "Honk For Jesus" received 74% positive critic reviews but 25% positive audience reviews. "Gigi & Nate" got only 18% positive critics but 97% positive audience reviews !! Imdb audiences had Honk at 5.1 average rating and Gigi at 8.1 positive !!

We opted to go and see "Gigi & Nate" and concluded that we are sick and tired of critics continually trying to influence what the public goes to see at the movies. There is no reason for any critic to give this film a negative review.

It is a moving, sincere, and spirited story that Director Hamm has made with genuine feeling. As a matter of fact, he and the editors and cinematographers use the camera to make the scenes flow and ebb in a manner that only enhances the emotions and feelings of the story, particularly in the first half of the film which moves along with quick and building intensity. The excellent musical score enhances the range of emotions that you will feel as a result of what you are seeing on the screen.

All of the actors are believable and realistic. Marcia Gay Harden is wonderful and authentic, and Charlie Rowe is exceptional as her son, Nate, whose life is shattered as a result of an unfortunate swimming experience. His performance is quite remarkable, natural, and moving without being maudlin. Jim Belusi gives the finest performance we have ever seen him give as Nate's father, and everyone else in the cast, particularly Langford and Riley, as Nate's sisters, and Colletti, as his young female friend, are very good.

In its negative review of this film, one critic called Diane Ladd's role "thankless." What an insult to Ms. Ladd and to this film. Now in her mid-eighties, Ms. Ladd is still very good indeed, and her role here as Nate's grandmother is sharp and endearing.

Many critics have panned the script, but there is nothing unrealistic or predictable here. Maybe this just isn't WOKE enough for them, but, hey, this is real life and a real story.

And what can you say about the acting monkey ? Good girl - nice job.

All in all, this is a moving and entertaining film that Hamm has done with sincere, careful, and excellent flair. Beautifully acted, beautifully filmed and scored, and nicely written. A rewarding movie experience.

I did some research on the net because somewhere it said the movie was inspired by true events . It, was, but of course a lot of stories are as there are so many people in similar circumstances that it is only reasonable to expect to find similarities . The person that it was loosely inspired by was Ned Sullivan who got paralyzed in car accident . Anyway the movie was very inspiring and the best actor was definitely the small Capuchin monkey. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it as it is a nice variation on the violence laden movies we are getting lately. The only thing that I found annoying had nothing to do with the movie itself, but depicting the story from the perspective of an obviously very well off family who had the means to give there son the best care money could buy .

I loved the movie. From music to characters to film locations. But that isnt what made me watch the whole movie, as nice as those things are. It was the connection between Gigi and Nate. I love all animals. I always fight for their rights. Speak for them when they dont have a voice to speak for themselves. Yet this movie in no way at all showed abuse nor implied mistreatment of animals.

What it did show was a powerful connection between human beings and animals. In my opinion more times then not we get so much more interacting and having that bond with animals. I've seen countless wild birds have this bond with human beings. Birds that could fly away yet choose time and again to come back day after day to a human. Why can it not be something beautiful to bond and grow and evolve our connections with animals?

Hope is such a powerful thing. So is growth. You wont find one without the other. Animals do chose us all the time. They seek out the needy to form that connection, that bond. To help not harm. This movie was amazing and beautiful. I highly recommend it. Huge back pats to everyone involved. They said it was a box office flop. I felt it was worth 10 stars and more.

I do not often see such an honest portrayal of a physically challenged person on screen. Having a son about the same age as Nate, made this hard to watch! The story is often sad but also frequently humorous and at times I even felt angry.

The acting is solid. Charlie Rowe did an amazing job with both the physical and emotional requirements of playing a young man in the prime of his life who suddenly finds himself unable to use his arms and legs and dependent on others for his daily existents.

Marsha Gay Harden was believable as the strong Mama bear determined to advocate for her son. And Diane Ladd was precious as the feisty Granny - she had some of the best lines in the film!

I appreciate that they kept this film "family friendly" because I think the message is important for tweens as well as adults.

Gigi & Nate is an uplifting movie with an encouraging message. This movie will put you through a range of emotions, and may even bring on the "waterworks."

After barely surviving a tragic accident that left him paralyzed, Nate Gibson (Charlie Rowe) has nothing worth living for, until he meets Gigi, a capuchin monkey. The two develop an inseparable bond, but not everyone's a fan of the relationship. Can Gigi and Nate stay together?

This movie is inspired by the organization Helping Hands: Monkey Helpers for the Disabled which helps to match people with disabilities to monkeys who will help them in their day to day life. The special effects are so impressive as I could barely tell when it switched from CGI to real life. Allie (who plays Gigi), the adorable capuchin monkey, makes her acting debut in this movie, and she is trained incredibly well. Too bad for Allie that there aren't Oscars for animals, because she would win one! Kudos to Allie's trainers for making her actions seem so organic and natural! The chemistry with Charlie Rowe (Nate) and Allie feels so real that sometimes I forget I'm watching a fictional movie and not a documentary.

The primary message of Gigi & Nate is to never give up - whether that means on yourself or on something you believe in. This movie has some profanity, alcohol consumption and attempted suicide.

I give Gigi & Nate 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18. Gigi and Nate comes out in theaters September 2, 2022. By Katherine S., KIDS FIRST!