Known for his esteemed success 500 days together and for his saga of Amazing Spiderman, Mark Webb returns to directing with a tender family story. Mary tells the story of Frank and his little niece. The latter being a young prodigy of mathematics, this does not fail to arouse the interest of his grandmother (with whom Frank cut ties). Very quickly, a family legal battle begins to decide the fate of the little girl… This simple and warm little gem presented at the Deauville American Festival offers us a moment of unpretentious entertainment, in which family stories rub shoulders with sincere emotions.
A sober and refreshing treatment
What a pleasure to be able to enjoy an entertaining, intelligent but above all sober film. Mary benefits from academic achievement, simple character treatment, and unpretentious writing. Yet, what a success! This sobriety is at the origin of the charm of the story, while not preventing it from being profound. We are faced with the most complex relationships: family relationships. Love, resentment, communication difficulties, sacrifice… Thanks to this more than realistic treatment, it is easy to identify with the characters and their dilemmas.
What is most striking about this story is how adults can harm the happiness of their offspring. This is probably the main criticism that we can detect. The film highlights the blindness of parents who want to control the fate of their children. This blindness is personified by the character of the mother / grandmother, ready to trade the happiness of her descendants to make her enter the story. In contrast to this odious character, we find another parental model, much more appreciable: the one who wants only the happiness of the child he raises, while doubting his ability to make him happy. Thus, these two parental models find themselves in total contradiction, for an interesting critique of the different modes of education. It is therefore up to the viewer to make up his own mind about what he considers appropriate for the child, both in terms of social evolution and happiness.
Actors adapted to their role
We have the right to an almost flawless on the part of the actors of this feature film. Let's start with the young Mckenna Grace, aka Mary, the main issue of the film. It is always very difficult for children so young to keep up with actors of international stature (in this case Chris Evans, Octavia Spencer and Lindsay Duncan). But the young actress is not at her first attempt in cinematographic terms, since she can already boast of having a filmography well fleshed out for her age (including blockbusters such as Independence Day Resurgence). Thus, this young girl turns out to be perfect in the role of Mary. Endearing, touching and funny, she adapts perfectly to her complex and emotional character.
Chris Evans is also very correct in his role, but unfortunately does not pull out of the game. Although he is quite adapted to the role of the loving and paternal uncle, he does not really break his image of boy scout that sticks to his skin thanks to Captain America. Nice performance then, but let's hope that this one will get rid of this image of hero with the star-spangled banner. Perhaps it is we, as spectators, who still have trouble seeing him in other roles. Case to follow, hoping that the latter will choose correctly his next roles (even if it means being in self-mockery as he was able to do in Scott Pilgrim VS The World).
Equal to herself, Octavia Spencer still offers us a delectable performance with her character of maternal substitute particularly endearing. Always present when needed and always good at swinging punchlines, it's a real pleasure to see her expand this beautiful cast.
Finally, a word about the incredible Lindsay Duncan (Birdman, Sherlock). The British actress is simply perfect as an authoritarian, narrow-minded and manipulative mother. She is one of those actresses giving life to characters we love to hate (which we had already seen in Birdman, as her role as an embittered critic is despicable). Thanks to a subtle interpretation and perfectly controlled dialogues, she blends perfectly into her role as mother and grandmother, sometimes sweet (which she is by interest), sometimes brittle (which she is by nature). A magnificent performance that makes you want to discover it quickly in other films and other registers.
Funny, tender, warm and entertaining, Mary has everything to please the most varied audiences. A humble little nugget that should easily charm the jury of the competition.
