Gigi & Nate (2022) User Reviews

Uplifting Movie With An Encouraging Message And Elicits A Range Of Emotions

[rannynm · 8/10 · 2 September 2022]

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!

An Emotional Ride

[Berksmom1 · 8/10 · 18 September 2022]

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.

Heart warming

[domialenic · 8/10 · 7 November 2022]

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 .

Belongs in the Hallmark Channel

[jimhague · 7/10 · 5 September 2022]

It was a nice film, pretty predicable, while many critics tore this film apart, I'll offer a nicer tone. The movie starts off with scenes of a captive Capuchin monkey (Gigi) who is rescued by an animal trainer and eventually taken to be come a service animal. Later on we see the little with the main character, Nate Gibson (Charlie Rowe) is the only son of a rather wealthy family who seem to own a big home in Tennessee and North Carolina. On a warm July 4th weekend, Nate jumps off a cliff and into deep waters which eventually led to him getting Meningitis, leading to paralysis.

After losing hope and an attempted suicide, Nate's parents decided to get him a service animal and here comes Gigi. Love store from the beginning. However the scenes that mar this movie.

1). The prolonged chase by their family dog. It wasn't even a rough breed, but the curious dog chased Gigi all around the house and no one seemed to be able to stop it. The case caused extensive damage to the property and even created a rift between the parents. Made the family look weak.

2). The Party Scene. Nate decides to go to a party where there were boos and drugs, and decided to take Gigi with him. Why? Not sure, but I don't recall ever wanting to take my dog to a party. Made Nate look real dumb.

3). The vilification of the animal rights activists. This was a hard pill to swallow since most people see them as heros and not militants. I never heard of animal rights throwing paint at a private property and congregating around a courtroom, led a 'Karen' played by Welker White. Just seems too unreal.

Gigi was then taken away because the bill passed the making Capuchin monkeys illegal as service animals, making the militant animal rights activist the winner. So only way to solve this issue is moving from Tennessee to nearby North Carolina Capuchins are legal. So the rich family up and leaves to a new life with their money.

Very predicable, but enjoyable....as a Hallmark Channel movie.

Sweet but irresponsible.

[sarahgrowns · 6/10 · 14 April 2024]

This is a sweet story of how a capuchin monkey, called Gigi, helps a young man, called Nate, after he becomes paralysed and needs to use a wheelchair. He experiences a lot of physical pain, especially during physiotherapy. Gigi helps him cope with the pain and also assists him, so he is able to enjoy life again. I don't know how accurately this film portrayed how a service monkey can assist and it seemed very one sided, portraying animal right activists as nasty people. In general, I do agree that wild animals should not be kept as pets or used as service animals. In this story the monkey was rescued from a 'zoo' then trained as a service animal. People who have a service dog keep it on a leash in public, so Nate was irresponsible not having Gigi tethered.

A fun surprise.

[mgentalen · 10/10 · 4 September 2022]

A saw " Gigi and Nate" today during Cinema Day. I knew the basic premise of the film, but didn't do any further research, and I am happy going in naked on this one.

We meet Nate, then 18 years old, cliff diving. He does a fall, walks it off, but days later with family celebrating Independence Day receives major pain and diagnosis that paralyze him for good. We do a time jump, Nate tries to kill himself in the family's koi pond, and dad, played by Jim Belushi, saves his life.

Mom realizes her son needs a companion; she gets a helper monkey. Everyone at first is not really fond or accepting of Gigi, but.as soon as Gigi starts to help out, he is more accepted.

I'm giving this a 10 star, but, and a huge but, I was not a fan of the lead, Nate. The parents and sisters were acted great, but Nate, Charles Rowe, under impressed for me. I was more taken away by Jim Belushi's performance and the young women who played his sister's. In fact, I was watching this wondering why Belushi does not do more of these roles. He can truly act, and , I just felt he is being under used.

I felt every emotion. I cried. I smiled I laughed. I shrieked. Even if the story does not sell it for you, see this for the monkey. The monkey made the sweetest faces and the fact he developed this bond with Nate was charming.

The ending, I am not saying, but was perfect. It came full circle.

Emotional Story

[stevendbeard · 7/10 · 5 September 2022]

I saw Gigi & Nate, starring Marcia Gay Harden-Point Blank_2019, the Fifty Shades of Grey movies; Charlie Rowe-Rocketman, The Golden Compass; Jim Belushi-According to Jim_tv, Jingle All the Way and Diane Ladd-The World's Fastest Indian, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

This is an emotional story about service animals and the rights to having or owning one. Charlie is an 18 year old teen that gets a debilitating disease that causes him to become a quadriplegic. Marcia and Jim are his parents and Diane is his grandmother. After Charlie attempts to commit suicide, the whole family decides to check out getting a service animal for him. Their choice is a Capuchin monkey named Gigi. After training and getting settled in with Gigi, problems pop up when one woman in particular has a Karen fit with Charlie bringing Gigi into certain stores and restaurants. Things end up going to the legal system to get things settled.

It's rated PG-13 for language and has a running time of 1 hour & 54 minutes.

It's not one that I would buy on DVD-once was enough-but it would be alright as a rental.

Rewarding

[montgomerysue · 9/10 · 4 September 2022]

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.

Heartwarming Recovery Film - Gigi & Nate

[arthur_tafero · 6/10 · 19 October 2022]

No, this is not the sequel to the Academy-Award winning film from the fifties, GiGi. The Gigi in this film is much smaller and much more homelier. An unfortunate young man becomes a quadriplegic, and is naturally depressed. Along comes Gigi, and his psyche begins to heal. This film has a bit in common with My Left Foot, whose leading actor, Daniel Day Lewis, won the Academy Award. The level of acting is not bad, but not in Lewis' class. This is pretty much a straight-forward film, and I am thankful it was not a cartoon, superhero, or disney film. Catch it a theater near you; and it is a decent family film to boot.

MISREPRSENTED SERVICE MONKEYS

[scylla100 · 1/10 · 8 September 2022]

This film completely mispresented how the monkey helpers work(ed) in the home. (Monkeys are no longer being trained for service work.) First off when "on the job" they are mostly tethered, and second and most importantly they do NOT go out in public. They are "at home" service animals. And if they did go out of the home they WOULD BE tethered. The appearances in the grocery store and at the party were not realistic and would not have been allowed by the service animal organization. Bad script and research. Movie made for effect and $$$. Also, the chase with the dog and the monkey was also totally for effect and incredibly unbelievable. The acting was acceptable but frankly this movies should never have been made as is.

Stunning

[apixielife · 10/10 · 4 February 2023]

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.

This Movie is Irresponsible Helper Monkey Propoganda!

[aarongregoryj · 2/10 · 2 November 2022]

So this movie is pro-helper monkey propaganda? I think it may be the first movie of it's kind, and probably the last. It never even occurred to me until I watched this film that there is such a thing as a powerful anti-helper monkey lobby. After Gigi and Nate are seen together at a local grocery store and a drinking party, an animal rights group named Americans For Animal Protection (AFAP), not PETA or the ASPCA of course, hold a protest outside Nates' home and threaten to make it illegal for capuchins to become service animals. The person leading the organization is an evil lady in the vein of Miss Gulch in the Wizard of Oz. Regardless of what side of this issue you fall on, this movie isn't very good. It's like a lifetime movie about a helper monkey.

Precious movie

[Ameliex · 9/10 · 1 November 2022]

The reason I watched this movie is due to the cute, lovely and awesome Gigi :-) I saw the trailer and though the Capuchin was adorable. But little did I know was a hidden message and story behind this.

If you love animals and love wonderful stories, then watch this.

You won't regret seeing this movie.

Everyone were playing their parts really well, but I feel the main star in this movie were the Capuchin. So adorable.

The message we get from this movie is HOPE, to not let go. Even if you are in the middle of a bloody storm, and you think you will never see the sunlight, YOU WILL SEE THE SUNLIGHT!

The story of a mothers love for her children, for the endless sacrifices parents do for their kids. Sacrifices not only parents do for their kids, but also the entire family do for each other. It was truly a wonderful movie.

You will laugh, cry, get motivated and become angry seeing this movie. You will experience all the emotions.

100% you should see this movie.

Very Touching & Heartfelt Film

[taylerdukes-05037 · 10/10 · 5 September 2022]

Oved every moment of Gigi and Nate such a beautiful story the whole cast was phenomenal. My heart was bursting from start to finish. A great comfort movie to watch, loved the family dynamic though out it all. It definitely a film to watch over and over again love the message though out of hope. The ending definitely got me didn't expect to love everything that happened. Charlie conveyed nate's internal struggles so well, he's so talented. Him and josephine did so great in portraying the importance of katy & nate's dynamic, they have excellent chemistry! Would definitely recommend. Anyway people pls go watch this, such a great movie to watch with friends and family. I really enjoyed it, so heartwarming almost cried.

Predictable, could have been better

[Jithindurden · 5/10 · 25 July 2023]

A predictable movie about the connection between a quadriplegic and his service animal. It wants itself to be inspiring, emotional and a bit political about how the animals should be treated. But it just meanders through a variety of these subjects without really making an impression on any front. There were a few effective moments but that would be more due to simply the subject matter and some actors doing great with what they got. There's a lot I enjoyed in it but at the same time, it was also boring as a whole. It felt like it touched upon a lot of stuff that could have been explored more to make a better film but was afraid to go deep and just touched all those stuff on the surface and moved on. Considering this is not exactly a true story, it's amusing that both the main events are implied to happen due to the same girl who just comes in at that point just for that and not really even mentioned how much she has a part in this.

A sweet, heartfelt movie.

[tilokaudaman · 9/10 · 3 September 2022]

I loved this film. Some critics have said it has a mediocre script but is saved by wonderful acting. I agree the acing is fantastic. I'm not familiar with Charlie Rowe's other work but I found his performance in this film to be deeply sincere and touching. I'm going to checkout some of his other work. He is certainly someone I will follow in the future. The supporting cast is also excellent especially Marcia Gay Harden and a knockout performance by Josephine Langford.

This film also explores the difficulty of a family coping with tragedy and the importance of a timely therapeutic intervention that ultimately leads to overcoming terrible obstacles. It is also about personal triumph and love.

Another factor important in this film is the damage caused by people who are zealots to a particular movement and who's beliefs can cause needless suffering and damage to innocent people and animals.

I feel these types of films are important. You leave the cinema filling good and full of hope, but you'll probably shed a lot of tears before you get there. I hoped a lot of people will see this film. It will open your heart.

Pleasantly surprised!

[skyeboy-00979 · 9/10 · 7 September 2022]

I really had no expectations when stepping into the theater to see Gigi & Nate. Other than reading the blurb on my local theater's site I had no idea what this movie was about! I am so happy I saw it!

What a heartwarming story and really impressive acting! I wasn't expecting such good acting and really all of the cast did well (my favorite performance was Diane Ladd, but Charlie Rowe was impressive)!

Based on a true story and fits well in the turmoil of today's politics but on a much lighter note. Take tissues and enjoy this surprisingly beautiful story of a man and his service animal...sweet enough for the whole family to experience!

The must see film of 2022

[mcjaeger-sz · 10/10 · 7 September 2022]

Heart warming film, excellent actors, brilliant plot, nice filming and CGI is very well done. This story could be happening to anyone. A normal family suffering a horrible accident that will change their life for ever. This film should be dedicated to all service animals. This film shows that mobility is a privilege, this privilege can be taken away in a blink of the eye.

Although it is a drama, I enjoyed the humour in it, the suspens of the end. Charlie Rowe is brilliant actor and playing together with Marcia Gay Harden, Josephine Langford and Diana Ladd makes it a dream casting. I wish they were more film inspired by such fantastic true stories. Well done Nick Hamm.

Must See

[jennifer-07254 · 10/10 · 10 September 2022]

Finally went to the movies to see a heart felt, inspiring story that celebrates family and human spirit. I loved the acting- very authentic. Showed the actors and filmmakers must have gone to great lengths of research to get it right.

Thank goodness I didn't listen to the critics- did they actually see the movie I did?? It seemed the entire point of this story was to demonstrate one family's tragic struggle to find the light again. And how relationships get tested, fail and then shine bright again.

Loved the musical score. Brilliant. And the monkey/ wow! No doubt service animals play a part in our society I don't know or understand enough, but I do feel that humans and animals are connected in far greater ways than we appreciate.

I Reas that the filmmakers also employed crew that were directly connnected to the disabled community to make sure they correctly represented their stories. Celebrating the disabled community and bringing a film to the theaters is a beautiful thing.

Inspired by a true story, a paralyzed man gets a helper monkey.

[TxMike · 13 June 2023]

Some say this movie is based on a real young man and his helper monkey. I prefer the term "inspired by" because so much of the story is changed for this movie. The one constant is that the young man was accidentally paralyzed and an organization that trains service animals provided a capuchin helper monkey. In this movie she is named Gigi. But names, family dynamics, locations, and method of paralysis are all fictional, as are most of the interactions portrayed.

But none of that matters in appreciating the movie. It deals authentically with a real subject and the difficulties of a partially incapicated person. Including military veterans, some featured in the movie, who were wounded, many with missing limbs.

Also the last parts of the movie, depicting the protests and the hearings to see if legislation will be advanced to prohibit use of monkeys as service animals. Today the organization, Helping Hands, no longer trains capuchin monkeys mainly due to pressure from animal rights groups, as well as concerns over health and safety. These factors resulted in federal and state governments changing the laws to make it difficult or impossible to have a monkey as a service animal. In 2010, a revision to the Americans with Disabilities Act stripped capuchin monkeys of their status as service animals.

My wife and I enjoyed this movie at home on BluRay from our public library.