The Gift (2000)

Director:

Sam Raimi

Writers (WGA):

Billy Bob Thornton (written by) &
Tom Epperson (written by)

Release Date:

19 January 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The only witness to the crime was not even there

Plot:

A woman with extrasensory perception is asked to help find a young woman who has disappeared.

Plot Keywords:

Abusive Husband | Clairvoyant | Widow | Pond | Psychic Power

Awards:

8 nominations

Cast

Cate Blanchett	...	Annabelle 'Annie' Wilson
Giovanni Ribisi	...	Buddy Cole
Keanu Reeves	...	Donnie Barksdale
Katie Holmes	...	Jessica King
Greg Kinnear	...	Wayne Collins
Hilary Swank	...	Valerie Barksdale
Michael Jeter	...	Gerald Weems
Kim Dickens	...	Linda
Gary Cole	...	David Duncan
Rosemary Harris	...	Annie's Granny
J.K. Simmons	...	Sheriff Pearl Johnson
Chelcie Ross	...	Kenneth King
John Beasley	...	Albert Hawkins
Lynnsee Provence	...	Mike Wilson
Hunter McGilvray	...	Miller Wilson

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language, and sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

112 min | USA:111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating on appeal) | Iceland:16 | USA:R (certificate #37790) | Malaysia:18PL (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (cut version) | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:16 | Canada:14A | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Mexico:B | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Effingham County, Georgia, USA

Company:

Lakeshore Entertainment

Trivia:

The cards Annie Wilson uses to perform her "readings" are actually Zener Cards, which are used to perform ESP tests. The cards are not known for their fortune-telling abilities.

Goofs:

Continuity: Buddy Cole throws gasoline over his father's entire body, but only his legs burn.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Annie: Oh, thank you for the peaches.
Tommy Lee Ballard: Yes, ma'am.
Annie: So how you been?
Tommy Lee Ballard: Oh, pretty good, I reckon.
Annie: You had a health problem since I saw you last?
Tommy Lee Ballard: Ma'am?
Annie: Have you been sick.
Tommy Lee Ballard: Back's been hurting a little.
Annie: No, no, it's not your back. You been bleeding somewhere?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "South of Nowhere: Girls Guide to Dating (#1.5)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

King Of Heartache

Haunting Thriller

I thought THE GIFT was going to be another of those clichéd tales involving a fortune teller , but as soon as the credits revealed that the director was the underrated Sam Raimi I suddenly started hoping that this was going to be a good film and my expectations were more than satisfied.

Raimi is probably best known for his SPIDERMAN blockbuster and the EVIL DEAD films , but I can't help thinking he's far better suited to human dramas like this film and A SIMPLE PLAN . Part human drama on being an outsider , part court room drama , part whodunnit and part supernatural mystery THE GIFT could have ended up as an unfocused mess but Raimi pulls it off . A word too for Raimi's handling of the cast , all the performances are very good . As you'd expect from such a talented actress Cate Blanchet is excellent , but Keannu Reeves is a shock as a redneck scum bag . I won't go so far as to say he steals the show but as a confirmed Reeves hater I found his performance totally convincing . Praise indeed

In terms of pace , intelligence and characterisation Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson have written a very good script , but I have one genuine complaint regarding forensics . In the court scenes evidence is presented , but there is nothing regarding forensic evidence which does lead to a fairly big plot hole . If I remember correctly A SIMPLE PLAN also suffers slightly from the screenwriter not doing his homework regarding forensics . But I suppose I can forgive this because of a haunting and touching shock twist at the end . If you've seen THE GIFT you'll know what I'm talking about , if you haven't then I won't spoil it for you . The only problem with the twist is that after you've seen it the second or third time it's not as moving or touching as it was the first time