“Gibby” is an uplifting family drama about teenager Katie (Shelby Lyon). She is deeply and chronically depressed following  her mother’s recent death, but is brought back from despair when her vacationing teacher (Shannon Elizabeth) entrusts the care of her capuchin monkey, the titular Gibby, to Katie for the summer. Caring for the charming and mischievous Gibby (played with astonishing smarts by Crystal the monkey) brightens Katie’s days and lifts her spirits so she can renew her social life, rejoin her school’s gymnastics team, withstand the competitive meanness of a jealous girl classmate and bond with the cutest boy at her school. The joy that’s brought into Katie’s world by the remarkable pet doesn’t erase her sense of loss, but helps her carry on. Although the plot sometimes pushes the envelope on cuteness, not to mention that overcoming grief in real life isn’t this easy, the well-made movie is a wonderful reminder of the healing relationships that form between people and pets. It’s an entertaining coping primer for tweens, teens and kids of all ages. It opened Aug. 2.