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Movies / On DVD / The Gift
The Gift

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The Gift (2001)

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Reviews Counted:116

Fresh:65

Rotten:51

Average Rating:5.9/10

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

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

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Gift

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
03/02/01
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
05/12/01
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic

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Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/30/02
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

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Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/16/01
Michael Thomson
Michael Thomson
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
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N/R

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Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
03/02/01
Alexander Walker
Alexander Walker
This is London
N/R

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Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
12/16/02
Christopher Tookey
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]
N/R

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Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
12/10/01
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Suspense-horror lovers who felt What Lies Beneath didn't quite deliver will be more than happy to open this Gift.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
12/19/00
E! Online
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
01/12/04
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

...If I was finally let down by the resolution of The Gift's central mystery, I felt lucky to have had Blanchett, Reeves, and, especially, Ribisi, as escorts.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
07/20/01
Bill Chambers
Bill Chambers
Film Freak Central

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
02/07/01
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

Proof that a talented cast and crew is sometimes enough to turn second-rate material into first-rate entertainment

Full Review Source: AboutFilm.com | comment Comment
02/07/01
Carlo Cavagna
Carlo Cavagna
AboutFilm.com

An acceptably suspenseful, watchable Southern Gothic whodunit.

Full Review Source: Mr. Showbiz | comment Comment
01/18/01
Cody Clark
Cody Clark
Mr. Showbiz

May not be as sick or scary as director Sam Raimi's Evil Dead masterpieces, but it's still seriously spooky.

Full Review Source: IFilm | comment Comment
12/19/00
Dave White
Dave White
IFilm

That rarest of thrillers that actually thrills, and offers up a fair share of chills, too. It may not be groundbreakingly original, but it sure is an entertaining ride for the duration of its running time.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

[Blanchett's] grounded intelligence and subtle craft holds the movie together even at its most overheated.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
01/18/01
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

One of the best-acted films I've seen in a while.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
01/19/01
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

Just the right mix of thriller and soap opera.

Full Review Source: Greenwich Village Gazette | comment Comment
12/21/00
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
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