The Great Gilly Hopkins (2015)

The Great Gilly Hopkins has the rare family-film gift of treating big feelings—anger, longing, pride—with real respect, then finding humor and warmth in the cracks where a guarded kid lets the light in. Sophie Nélisse makes Gilly thorny and magnetic rather than “cute,” and watching her spar with Kathy Bates’ steady, quietly formidable foster mom is the kind of character-driven pleasure that sneaks up on you and stays. Glenn Close adds an extra layer of gravity that deepens the story without turning it heavy-handed, giving the movie a heartbeat that feels earned. It’s not a sugarcoated crowd-pleaser—its themes of foster care and abandonment can sting—but if you want a heartfelt, smartly acted drama-comedy about the messy work of letting yourself be loved, this one is worth your time.

The Great Gilly Hopkins is clearly aiming for a warm, kid-friendly story about a tough foster child learning to let people in, and it has the right ingredients for a gentle family dramedy. The problem is it often feels a bit slight and uneven, with big themes like abandonment and belonging handled in broad strokes that can come off blunt rather than truly moving. If you’re hoping for a nuanced, hard-hitting take on foster care or complex character growth, this may feel ordinary and underdeveloped. Still, Sophie Nélisse brings real spark, and veterans like Kathy Bates and Glenn Close add enough heart and steadiness to make it an acceptable pick for a low-stakes, PG family night.