You can't escape the feeling that everyone involved deserved something better.
The Gift (2001)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
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
Reviews for The Gift
An example of how superior craftsmanship can transform a ho-hum genre entry into a sporadically gripping thriller.
Anchored by Cate Blanchett’s persuasive turn as a widow who reads tarot cards to make ends meet, Sam Raimi’s psychological thriller generates far more suspense than most of its ilk.
Within its limits, it has rock-solid craftsmanship and a dream cast that may be better than the material.
[Blanchett's] grounded intelligence and subtle craft holds the movie together even at its most overheated.
A muddled thriller, filled with tired clichés and some of the worst casting in years.
A middling entry for Raimi that is, disappointingly, a conventional whodunit coupled with supernatural power.
A disappointingly predictable psychic whodunit with a script so pedestrian it feels like an albatross around the necks of its marquee pedigree players.
By-the-numbers direction of The Gift reduces a potentially involving story of the paranormal to utter predictability.
While this movie has none of the power of [Raimi's] last film, A Simple Plan, he knows how to get his audience on the edge of its collective seat.
While not precisely the cinematic equivalent of a lump of coal in our collective stocking, this isn't precisely what we wanted.
While the film overall is more concerned with mounting menace than edge-of-your-seat shocks, it delivers a couple of stunners.
The scary-movie score and taut editing give the audience a lot of popcorn thrills, but the movie resonates at all because of the deeper, more moving concerns at its core.
The bottom line ... is that cheap and unoriginal as The Gift may be, it sucks you in.
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.





