The Great Gilly Hopkins

While uneven in places, The Great Gilly Hopkins works because it boasts an actress tough enough for the title role.

[A] hokey but effective adaptation.

The Great Gilly Hopkins has its enjoyable moments — Bates' entertaining, scenery-chewing turn providing many of them — and its themes are refreshingly complex for a film targeted to kids.

The title character is a child, but two adult actors, Kathy Bates and Glenn Close, really give The Great Gilly Hopkins its considerable heart. This movie, though uneven, is affecting because of these two reliable stars.

Sweet but inconsequential, The Great Gilly Hopkins will satisfy family audiences and pre-teens with minimal demands for their money.

Characters and situations are painted in such simple, broad strokes, we’re asked to take much at face value.

Glenn Close's face teems with a flawlessly controlled gravitas that’s completely at odds with the film’s ordinariness.

The Great Gilly Hopkins has an underdeveloped story with unnecessary scenes and annoying character introduction, with a character without charisma, but at least have great actresses like Kathy Banes and Glenn Close that leaves the experience of watching it much less unpleasant.