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Movies / On DVD / The Gift
The Gift

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The Gift (2001)

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Reviews Counted:29

Fresh:18

Rotten:11

Average Rating:6.1/10

Consensus: 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.

Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Theatrical Release:Dec 20, 2000 Limited

Box Office: $11,151,502

Synopsis: Annie Wilson (Cate Blanchett) is a young widow living in Brixton, Georgia, who does psychic readings. She has a power that allows her to see things her neighbors don't see, and she talks about the... Annie Wilson (Cate Blanchett) is a young widow living in Brixton, Georgia, who does psychic readings. She has a power that allows her to see things her neighbors don't see, and she talks about the things that they try to keep quiet. She eventually stirs up trouble by advising Valerie Barksdale (Hilary Swank) to leave her abusive husband, Donnie (an effectively menacing Keanu Reeves). Donnie chases after Annie and threatens her and her young sons. Then Jessica King (Katie Holmes), a sexually liberated rich girl, disappears, and Annie has visions of a gruesome murder that endanger her own life. THE GIFT is an unusual supernatural thriller. Director Sam Raimi (A SIMPLE PLAN) and DP Jamie Anderson use the huge gnarled trees and foggy swamps of Savannah to create a palpable sense of dread, and Raimi really knows how to jolt an audience. The script, by Billy Bob Thornton (SLING BLADE) and Tom Epperson, has enough twists to keep the audience guessing. Blanchett is very believable, and Giovanni Ribisi gives a heart-wrenching performance as Buddy Cole, a disturbed young man who seeks Annie's counsel. Their relationship gives the film an emotional weight that makes it more than just a good thriller. [More]

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Hilary Swank, Keanu Reeves

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Hilary Swank, Keanu Reeves, Katie Holmes, Greg Kinnear, Kim Dickens, Gary Cole, Michael Jeter, Danny Elfman, Stuart Greer, Alex Lee, Chelcie Ross, J.K. Simmons

Director: Sam Raimi

Director: Sam Raimi
Screenwriter: Tom Epperson, Billy Bob Thornton
Studio: Paramount Classics

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Release:

Jan 8, 2002

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Reviews for The Gift

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
09/26/02
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
03/22/02
Globe and Mail
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
06/04/01
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
02/07/01
Ebert & Roeper
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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.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
01/19/01
Peter Howell
Peter Howell
Toronto Star
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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.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
01/19/01
Susan Stark
Susan Stark
Detroit News
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Uneven and conventional.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
01/19/01
John Anderson
John Anderson
Newsday
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The movie has an impressive cast. Blanchett is a terrific actress who deserves better than this.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
01/19/01
Eric Harrison
Eric Harrison
Houston Chronicle
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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.

comment Comment
01/19/01
Glenn Lovell
Glenn Lovell
San Jose Mercury News
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At its best The Gift evokes some of the creepy chills of To Kill a Mockingbird. And at its heart, there's Blanchett, an actress whose instincts are unerring, and dead-on.

comment Comment
01/19/01
Steven Rea
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer
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Logic is mocked, plot strands capriciously abandoned. Actors chew upholstery, and the heroine has so many 'Don't open that door, lady!' moments that the movie starts to play like an unintended parody of overblown hokum.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/19/01
Edward Guthmann
Edward Guthmann
San Francisco Chronicle
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Raimi's skillful direction, the way he positions the camera, and his brilliant pacing keep things jumping almost until the final frame.

Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment Comment
01/19/01
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
CNN.com
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A solidly crafted, suspensefully written, powerfully acted little juggernaut.

comment Comment
01/19/01
Jay Carr
Jay Carr
Boston Globe
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The smartest and scariest supernatural thriller since The Sixth Sense.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
01/19/01
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post
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Even if you've figured out where The Gift is headed, the actors keep you watching closely.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
01/19/01
Stephanie Zacharek
Stephanie Zacharek
Salon.com
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The movie is ingenious in its plotting, colorful in its characters, taut in its direction and fortunate in possessing Cate Blanchett.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/19/01
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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Originality is clearly not a strong point with this script.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/19/01
Curt Fields
Curt Fields
Washington Post
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It's not wise to build a story around a psychic. If you don't believe in this stuff, the story simply will not work, ever, anyhow, any way, any time, any place.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/19/01
Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter
Washington Post
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A rather pedestrian whodunit.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
01/19/01
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
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You can't escape the feeling that everyone involved deserved something better.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
01/18/01
Philip Wuntch
Philip Wuntch
Dallas Morning News
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