Boy Meets Adorable Monkey in Sappy Drama

A depressed and suicidal young quadriplegic finds hope in a Capuchin monkey. Based on a true story, Gigi & Nate follows a family’s journey after a tragic event changes the course of their lives. The film has admirable traits but strays into sappy melodrama with a contrived third act. A poorly written antagonist derails the narrative with heartless and overblown machinations. The emotional capital established in the beginning fades completely. That said, the moral of the story has merit. Service animals transform the lives of the disabled. They bring companionship, aid, and a sense of renewed purpose.

The Gibson family settles in for a fun July Fourth barbecue at their North Carolina summer home. Eighteen-year-old Nate (Charlie Rowe) frolics with his friends, younger sister Annabelle (Hannah Riley), and older sibling Katy (Josephine Langford). His mother, Claire (Marcia Gay Harden), waits for his father, Dan (Jim Belushi), to arrive for the party. They are the picture of happiness. Nate laughs before diving off a huge waterfall.

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At dinner, Nate feels feverish and his ears ring. He collapses in the bathroom. His terrified family race him to the hospital. Nate’s brain is swelling. Claire demands an airlift to a bigger medical center in Nashville. Their worst fears are realized. Nate contracted meningitis. The disease is eighty-percent fatal. Nate will be completely paralyzed if he survives.

Four years later, a despondent Nate tries to kill himself. His parents search for a new answer. They contact a rescue organization that trains service animals. Nate takes an instant liking to Gigi, a Capuchin monkey taken from a deplorable petting zoo. A nervous Gigi doesn’t initially acclimate to her new environment. But soon warms to Nate and becomes a treasured companion. Their friendship and devotion is unexpectedly threatened when targeted by a rabid animal rights activist, Chloe Gaines (Welker White).

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Gigi & Nate Pulls Your Heartstrings

Gigi & Nate pulls your heartstrings after the accident. You feel for Nate. A promising and charismatic teenager succumbs to despair. The film shows the constant care and money required to keep him alive. He has to be fed, washed, and endure painful physical therapy. Nate thinks he’s a burden to his parents and sisters. The first act is effective in showing emotional and physical turmoil. Everything revolves around Nate’s care.

The plot takes a precipitous dive once Gigi & Nate become best friends. Director Nick Hamm (The Hole, The Journey) wallows in forced melodrama like a Lifetime movie of the week. Chloe Gaines becomes a despicable villain determined to ban Capuchin monkeys as service animals. I understand some animal rights activists have extreme methods. But Chloe’s behavior is beyond cold and ruthless. She has zero empathy for Nate’s situation. That’s difficult to believe. Hamm needed to add nuance and at least a drop of compassion to her character.

Gigi & Nate has good intentions but significant flaws. The family dynamic, natural at first, loses realism as the film progresses. This is especially evident in a manufactured legal climax. A subplot of Nate meeting a girl (Zoe Margaret Colletti) also seems staged and obvious. Gigi, like every service animal, is invaluable to Nate’s well-being. Their love and care have to be reciprocated. We get the message in an overall weak delivery.

Gigi & Nate is a production of Free Turn and Tempo Productions Limited. It will have a theatrical release on September 2nd from Roadside Attractions.

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