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The Gift (2000)

tomatometer

56

Average Rating: 5.8/10
Reviews Counted: 118
Fresh: 66 | Rotten: 52

With a reported budget of around 10 million, The Gift is obviously a labor of love for those involved. Unfortunately, the A-list cast can't prevent the movie from becoming a by-the-numbers whodunit with an ending that's all but unsatisfactory.

62

Average Rating: 6.1/10
Critic Reviews: 29
Fresh: 18 | Rotten: 11

With a reported budget of around 10 million, The Gift is obviously a labor of love for those involved. Unfortunately, the A-list cast can't prevent the movie from becoming a by-the-numbers whodunit with an ending that's all but unsatisfactory.

audience

56

liked it
Average Rating: 3.1/5
User Ratings: 48,775

My Rating

Movie Info

Supernatural horror meets character drama in this Sam Raimi-directed thriller. Set in Georgia, the film concerns a widowed mother named Annie (Cate Blanchett) who is blessed with the ability to have psychic visions. When Annie is asked to use her powers to investigate the murder of a rich society girl (Katie Holmes) who was engaged to a local high school principal (Greg Kinnear), she finds her "gift" is as destructive as it is helpful. Many of the townspeople have mixed regard for Annie's

R, 1 hr. 50 min.

Mystery & Suspense, Drama

Tom Epperson, Billy Bob Thornton

Nov 6, 2001

$11.2M

Paramount Classics

Cast

All Critics (138) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (68) | Rotten (52) | DVD (22)

There's really just one reason to see the Southern freak show that is Sam Raimi's The Gift, and fortunately it's the best reason: to watch the star of the piece.

January 19, 2001 Full Review Source: Toronto Star | Comment
Toronto Star
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A glorious textbook example of a gifted film maker's ability to transform a familiar genre and, thrillingly, to confound our expectations in the process.

January 19, 2001 Full Review Source: Detroit News | Comment
Detroit News
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It's like a play that's been 'opened up' for the screen, expanded and filmed on real locations but retaining all of the carefully worded stage dialogue. It never sounds 'real,' and I suppose that's the point.

January 19, 2001 Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | Comment
Sacramento Bee
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Uneven and conventional.

January 19, 2001 Full Review Source: Newsday | Comment
Newsday
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The movie has an impressive cast. Blanchett is a terrific actress who deserves better than this.

January 19, 2001 Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | Comment
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Unfortunately, Raimi and Thornton -- who collaborated as director and star on the genuinely creepy A Simple Plan -- have only enough material this time to sustain half a movie.

January 19, 2001 Comment
San Jose Mercury News
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A superior horror movie for older teens.

December 28, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | Comment
Common Sense Media

Who would have thought Sam Raimi could have made a film in which the dead are harmless, even helpful?

February 14, 2008 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | Comment
eFilmCritic.com

Failing to deliver as a suspenser, The Gift relies heavily on its name cast, particularly Cate Blanchette, which elevates the old-fashioned yarn to a more serious patina.

July 5, 2006 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | Comment

Un mediano intento de sorprendernos.

February 20, 2005 Full Review Source: Cinenganos | Comment
Cinenganos

Stilted, obvious, and cruel... No longer an absurdist of gore, Raimi is now a reveler in it.

January 10, 2003 Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | Comment
Nick's Flick Picks

One of the strongest parts in question is the central performance of Cate Blanchett.

December 8, 2002 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | Comment (1)
TheMovieReport.com

...not too bad in a gothic whodunit kind of way

October 30, 2002 Full Review | Comment
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Gift

A Supernatural Thriller with a convincing, natural performance by Cate Blanchett and a unique angle on a Murder investigation.There is something of an emotional commitment brought to the storyline by the characters in this film, which really comes across well on screen. All in all it is a decent (greatly underrated)

March 28, 2007
76Majikat

Super Reviewer

My second viewing of The Gift led me to realise how formulaic and structured the screenplay actually is. Yes it has some 'twists' and a guessing game as to who the killer is but there's no thrill in the chase. Jessica King is shown as a horrible woman who got what she deserved so there was no sympathy for her death

February 11, 2007
StarCrossedVoyager
Sophie Burgess

Super Reviewer

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