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
Nathan Lee Lewis	...	Cornelius (as Nathan Lewis)
Benjamin Peacock	...	Tommy
Clay James	...	Stanley
David Brannen	...	Ben Wilson
Russell Durham Comegys	...	Ben Sr.
Janell McLeod	...	Mrs. Francis
Robby Preddy	...	Lady #2
Lucky Lawrence	...	Member of The Souvenirs Band / Handsome Man at Bar
Mo	...	Member of The Souvenirs Band
Boots Kutz	...	Member of The Souvenirs Band
Buck Edwards	...	Member of The Souvenirs Band
D.J. Pawlak	...	Member of The Souvenirs Band
Kipp Chambers	...	Boy at Dance
Dallas Johnson	...	Dallas
Stuart Greer	...	Officer Huggins
Jeff Bragg	...	Jed Barksdale
Danny Elfman	...	Tommy Lee Ballard
S.D. Stephens	...	Deputy on Shore
Samuel E. Parlin Jr.	...	Deputy in Boat
Ed Reddick	...	Judge
Rebecca Koon	...	Buddy's Mother
Erik Cord	...	Buddy's Father
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Cameron Beach	...	Enforcer for the Barksdales (uncredited)
Sam Edens	...	Member of Barksdale Clan (uncredited)
Earl Maddox	...	Barksdale (uncredited)
Ray Wineteer	...	Juror (uncredited)
Yvetta Young	...	Family Friend (uncredited)

Directed by
Sam Raimi

Writing credits (WGA)
Billy Bob Thornton		(written by) &
Tom Epperson		(written by)

Produced by
Grant Curtis	....	associate producer
Sean Daniel	....	executive producer
Gregory Goodman	....	executive producer
James Jacks	....	producer
Gary Lucchesi	....	producer
Tom Rosenberg	....	producer
Ted Tannebaum	....	executive producer
Robert G. Tapert	....	executive producer (as Rob Tapert)
Richard S. Wright	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Christopher Young

Cinematography by
Jamie Anderson		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Arthur Coburn
Bob Murawski

Casting by
Deborah Aquila

Production Design by
Neil Spisak

Set Decoration by
Marthe Pineau

Costume Design by
Julie Weiss

Makeup Department
Kelly Jefferson	....	assistant makeup artist (as Kelley Gore Jefferson)
Emanuel Millar	....	hair styling designer (as Manny Millar)
Morag Ross	....	makeup artist: Ms. Blanchett
Morag Ross	....	supervising makeup artist
Monty Schuth	....	assistant hair stylist
Jeff Goodwin	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)
Chris Varosky	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Mary Courtney	....	production supervisor (as Mary J. Courtney)
Gregory Goodman	....	unit production manager
James McQuaide	....	post-production supervisor
Richard S. Wright	....	unit production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Stacey Beneville	....	second second assistant director
Bac DeLorme	....	second assistant director (as Bac Delorme)
Eric Heffron	....	first assistant director
Kurt Uebersax	....	dga trainee

Art Department
C. Scott Baker	....	assistant art director
David Becton	....	greensperson
Erin Fite	....	art department coordinator
Patrick Fuhrman	....	set dresser
Gloria Ann 'Twinkle' Groover	....	greensperson
Stephanie Kern	....	paint foreperson
Andy Krish	....	lead person
Martin Lasowitz	....	property master
Scott A. Lawson	....	set dresser (as Scott Lawson)
Rebecca Leonard	....	paint foreperson
Jeffrey Lynch	....	conceptual artist
Jeffrey Lynch	....	storyboard artist
Thomas Michael Ryan	....	general foreperson (as Michael Ryan)
Jeffrey Schlatter	....	construction coordinator
Martin Smith	....	greensperson
David Stephan	....	storyboard artist
Drew Sywanyk	....	on-set dresser
Jess Tucker	....	set dressing buyer
Angie Woodard	....	property assistant
Michael Zadresny	....	assistant property master (as Mike Zadrosny)
Susan Dennis	....	assistant property buyer (uncredited)
J. Luther Jones III	....	carpenter (uncredited)
Stephanie Macomber Kern	....	stand-by painter (uncredited)
William Scot Noonan	....	propmaker (uncredited)
Scott D. Warner	....	propmaker (uncredited)

Sound Department
Mark Allen	....	sound effects editor
Robert Batha	....	first assistant sound editor
Kelly Cabral	....	supervising sound editor
C. Douglas Cameron	....	boom operator
Kerry Ann Carmean	....	sound effects editor (as Kerry Carmean)
Mark Choi	....	adr editor (as Mark Hushik Choi)
Valerie Davidson	....	foley editor
Robert Fernandez	....	sound mixing engineer
Robert Fernandez	....	sound recording engineer
Paul Flinchbaugh	....	assistant sound editor
Nerses Gezalyan	....	foley mixer
Kimaree Long	....	dialogue editor
Gerard K. Marino	....	additional sound recordist
James Moriana	....	foley artist (as Jimmy Moriana)
Ed Novick	....	production sound mixer
Kelly Oxford	....	adr editor
Andy Potvin	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Michael Rayle	....	cable person
Brad Sherman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Melissa Sherwood Hofmann	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Melissa S. Hofmann)
Steve Smith	....	assistant sound engineer
Lauren Stephens	....	dialogue editor
Jon Title	....	supervising sound editor
Drew Webster	....	digital sound mix technician
Jeffrey Wilhoit	....	foley artist (as Jeff Wilhoit)
Greg Zimmerman	....	foley recordist
Brian Basham	....	adr recordist (uncredited)
Kimaree Long	....	adr editor (uncredited)
Jeff Toyne	....	additional sound recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Michelle Crawford	....	special effects laborer
Vern Hyde	....	special effects coordinator
Scott Mobley	....	special effects technician
Lisa Reynolds	....	special effects foreperson

Visual Effects by
Kelly G. Crawford	....	editor: Illusion Arts Inc.
Peter Donen	....	visual effects supervisor
Syd Dutton	....	visual effects supervisor: Illusion Arts Inc.
David Dwiggins	....	effects photography supervisor
Fumi Mashimo	....	animator: Illusion Arts Inc. (as Fumi Mashimo)
Kelvin McIlwain	....	matte artist: Illusion Arts Inc.
Kenneth Nakada	....	matte artist: Illusion Arts Inc.
Henric Nieminen	....	effects photography coordinatior (as Heinric Niemenin)
Catherine Sudolcan	....	producer: Illusion Arts
Bill Taylor	....	visual effects: Illusion Arts Inc.
Mike Wassel	....	matte artist: Illusion Arts Inc. (as Michael Wassel)
David S. Williams Jr.	....	lead compositor: Illusion Arts Inc.
Chris Crowell	....	digital compositor (uncredited)
Ken Dackermann	....	digital compositor (uncredited)
Jim Pearson	....	underwater coordinator (uncredited)

Stunts
Gregory Brunkalla	....	stunts
James M. Churchman	....	stunts (as Jim Churchman)
Kathy Dicker	....	stunts
Christina Ritzi	....	stunts
Steve Ritzi	....	stunts
Ramsey Scott	....	stunts
Brandon Sebek	....	stunts
Mark Stefanich	....	stunt coordinator
Chad Stahelski	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Adam Alphin	....	second assistant camera
Greg Banta	....	assistant chief lighting technician
James 'Booze' Bonsignore	....	grip (as James Bonsignore)
Michael Bonsignore	....	grip
Chip Byrd	....	second assistant camera
Lex Camp	....	grip
Billy Clevenger	....	camera operator (as Bill Clevenger)
Matt Doll	....	grip
David Dunbar	....	rigging lighting technician
Michael S. Endler	....	first assistant camera (as Michael Endler)
Dan Lynch	....	second company grip
Mark McDevitt	....	camera loader
Billy Merrell	....	grip (as Bill Merrill)
David L. Merrill	....	first company grip (as David Merrill)
David Morton	....	chief lighting technician
Melissa Moseley	....	still photographer
Monty Rowan	....	camera operator
Monty Rowan	....	director of photography: second unit
Steve Skinner	....	grip
Dascious Thomas	....	rigging grip
Dan Turek	....	first assistant camera
Troy N. Wade	....	grip (as Troy Wade)
William D. Wynn	....	dolly grip (as Billy Wynn)
David Ellis	....	electrical technician (uncredited)
Harrison Palmer	....	electrician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Leigh French	....	voice casting
Shay Griffin	....	location casting (as Shay Bentley-Griffin)
Dianne Lynn	....	location casting
Melissa Maxfield	....	location casting
Kelly O'Brien	....	casting assistant
Cristi Rickey	....	extras casting coordinator
Mary Tricia Wood	....	casting associate (as Tricia Wood)
Chad Darnell	....	location casting assistant (uncredited)
David Pollison	....	casting associate (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Layne Brightwell	....	supervising costumer (as Layne Brightwell-Werner)
Dorothy Masters	....	costumer
Dorothy Masters	....	seamstress
Wendy Moynihan	....	costumer
Hope Slepak	....	costume supervisor (as Hope B. Slepak)
Sanford Slepak	....	assistant costume designer (as Sandy Slepak)

Editorial Department
Winnie Cheng	....	post-production coordinator
Catherine L. Cusimano	....	assistant editor (as Catherine Cusimano)
Paul Hart	....	first assistant editor
Phil Hetos	....	color timer
Peter Kwong	....	apprentice editor
Michael Rafferty	....	first assistant editor (as Mike Rafferty)
Theresa Repola Mohammed	....	negative cutter
Ewa Zbroniec	....	assistant editor
Harry Muller	....	color timer (uncredited)

Music Department
Robert Fernandez	....	scoring mixer
Andrew Hausmann	....	score coordinator
Tanya Noel Hill	....	music editor
Chris Innis	....	music editor
Simon James	....	music contractor
Derrick Lefebvre	....	score coordinator
Christopher S. Parker	....	music coordinator
Robert Puff	....	music preparation
Jasper Randall	....	scoring coordinator
Adam Stern	....	conductor
Paul S. Henning	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Bill Liston	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Flavio Motalla	....	score producer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Cindy Parker	....	transportation coordinator
J.L. Parker	....	transportation captain
Robert Ballentine	....	transportation (uncredited)
Christie Chaplin	....	driver (uncredited)
Chuck Graydon	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Kather Alcorn	....	production assistant
Brad Banks	....	electrical technician
Samantha Barker	....	synthesizer coordinator
Steven Bernstein	....	production assistant
Steve Cainas	....	production coordinator
Dan Callahan	....	production assistant
Kathleen Callahan	....	craft service (as Kathleen 'Kat' Callahan)
Dan Carter	....	location projectionist
Gina Cascino	....	location manager
Julie Cummings	....	production assistant
Renee Derossett	....	animal handler: "Butch"
Anna Downing	....	production auditor
Tom Fendley	....	electrical technician
Billy Fields	....	medic
Julie Ford	....	production assistant
Clinton Lee Futch Jr.	....	production assistant (as Lee Futch Jr.)
Jillian Gallant	....	production assistant
Karen Golden	....	script supervisor
Grant Grabowski	....	production coordinator: Lakeshore Entertainment
Douglas Hansen	....	production financing
J. Cindy Hill	....	assistant: Mr. Goodman and Mr. Jacks
Stephanie Huntsinger	....	auditor
Calise Kerns	....	production assistant
Tatiana Komlos	....	assistant production coordinator
Douglas Leme	....	production assistant
Jordan Lewis	....	production assistant
Jeffrey Lynch	....	creative supervisor: second unit (as Jeffery Lynch)
Gerard K. Marino	....	synthesizer programmer
Shane Meador	....	production assistant
Michael Mendelsohn	....	financial consultant: Patriot Advisors
Carla Meyer	....	dialect coach
Brian Keith Miller	....	assistant location manager (as B.K. Miller)
David Muscatine	....	first assistant auditor
Ben Noble	....	electrical technician
Colleen Nybo	....	post-production auditor
Leigh Oblinger	....	unit publicist
Ed O'Briant	....	electrical technician
Willow Reed	....	assistant: Mr. Rosenberg
Renee Rigenhagen	....	assistant: Mr. Rosenberg
Mike Satterfield	....	electrical technician
Brandon Schiffman	....	production assistant
Bryen Shannon	....	production assistant
Brian Sheil	....	production assistant
Jerrell Skinner	....	assistant production coordinator
Anja Stadelmann	....	supervisor: second unit
A. Jon Stitch	....	assistant synthesizer coordinator
Jeff Tapert	....	craft service
Jerri Whiteman	....	auditor
Bob Williams	....	electrical technician (as Robert Williams)
Amy Denning Winfrey	....	auditor
Joseph Woolf	....	production financing
Andrew J. Young	....	location scout (as Andy Young)
Bill Gula	....	photosonics operator (uncredited)
Michael J. Harker	....	completion bond representative (uncredited)
Shanda Lee Munson	....	photo double: Katie Holmes (uncredited)
Todd Peterson	....	stand-in: Keanu Reeves (uncredited)
Senia Phillips	....	animal trainer: dogs (uncredited)
Chad Stahelski	....	stand-in: Keanu Reeves (uncredited)
Ty Warren	....	assistant: Sean Daniel (uncredited)
Amy Denning Winfrey	....	payroll accountant (uncredited)

Thanks
Peter Afterman	....	thanks
Robert L. Benun	....	thanks
Sue Binder	....	thanks
Andrew Boyd	....	thanks
Christine Buckley	....	thanks
Robert Burke	....	thanks
John Edward	....	thanks
Jim Goodkind	....	thanks
Virginia Longmuir	....	thanks
Klein Mayes	....	thanks
David Pollison	....	thanks
Dr. W.R. Portee	....	thanks
Jay M. Self	....	thanks: Savannah Film Commission (as Jay Self)
Rhooby Sue	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Lakeshore Entertainment
• Alphaville Films (as Alphaville)

Distributors

• Lakeshore Entertainment (2000) (worldwide) (all media)
• Paramount Classics (2000) (USA) (theatrical)
• Helkon Filmverleih GmbH (2001) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Monopole-Pathé (2001) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Redbus Film Distribution (2001) (UK) (theatrical)
• Paramount Home Video (2001) (Canada) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Paradiso Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Laurus Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2002) (Germany) (DVD)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Net5 (2004) (Netherlands) (TV)
• Paramount Pictures (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2009) (Argentina) (DVD) (re-release)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (VHS)
• Eurocine (Argentina)
• Europa Filmes (Brazil) (DVD)
• Europa Filmes (Brazil) (VHS)
• Sociedad General de Derechos Audiovisuales (SOGEDASA) (Spain)
• Star Movie Amusements (Paraguay)

Special Effects

• Illusion Arts (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes and dollies by
• City of Savannah, Georgia  thanks
• City of Springfield, Georgia  thanks
• City of Thunderbolt, Georgia  thanks
• DeLuxe Laboratories  color
• Effington County Board of Commissioners  thanks
• Entertainment Finance Group  production financing provided by
• Georgia Film Commission  thanks
• International Film Guarantors  completion guaranty provided by
• Ken and Art's Catering  catering
• Lakeshore Records  soundtrack
• Northwest Sinfonia  orchestra
• Orbit Digital  avid editing systems provided by
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals
• Panavision  cameras and lenses
• Paramount Pictures  scenes from "Heckle and Jeckle" courtesy of
• Patriot Advisors  financial consulting
• Peabody Essex Museum  "America" painting by Fitz-Hugh Lane courtesy of
• Savannah Film Commission  thanks
• Soundelux  post-production sound services by
• Todd-AO Studios  sound re-recording services by
• Union Bank of California  production financing provided by
• Will Records  soundtrack
• Xtreme/Music Works Studio  music recorded at

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:

To prepare for her role in this film, Cate Blanchett visited five fortune tellers in one week. One of them told her she needed a bodyguard.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Annie gives a reading for Valerie Barksdale her watch is on the table as usual. But as she collects the cards, her watch is on her wrist.

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:

Sentimental

Cate Blanchett Displays Her Own "Gifts"

In a small town deep in the South, a single mother endowed with a special ability becomes involved with the disappearance of a young woman and has a brush with the supernatural, in `The Gift,' directed by Sam Raimi. Cate Blanchett stars as Annie Wilson, a young widow attempting to raise her three kids and provide a decent life for her family, scraping out a living on Social Security since the tragic death of her husband in a work related accident the previous year. She supplements her meager income by doing `readings' for the local townsfolk, accepting their donations for the insights she offers them into their own lives. Annie has a `gift,' the ability to see certain things in the cards that enables her to advise her clients about personal issues. It's something she can't explain; she knows only that it's inherited (which she learned from her grandmother), and that it's real. And though it's helped her maintain her home, she soon finds that it doesn't always make for the most pleasant of situations, as when she must advise a young woman, Valerie Barksdale (Hilary Swank), on how to cope with her abusive husband, Donnie (Keanu Reeves), or attempt to help a troubled young man, Buddy Cole (Giovanni Ribisi) come to terms with some sensitive aspects of his life. Then, when a client comes to her to ask for help when his daughter disappears, not only does it take her to the dark side of the human experience, she discovers that certain individuals, including local sheriff Pearl Johnson (J.K. Simmons) do not believe that her `gift' is real.

Stylistically crafted and delivered, Raimi's film will keep you engrossed and on the edge of your seat until the very end. He successfully blends reality with just a touch of the supernatural that makes for riveting suspense while keeping it within the realm of believability. The relationship played out between Donnie and Valerie is anything but unique-- you've seen this before, many times in many films-- but within the context of this story it's fresh and it works. The doubtful sheriff and the cynical, jaded defense attorney, Gerald Weems (Michael Jeter), are fairly stereotypical, but that can be easily overlooked in light of the overall story and especially due to the credibility of the Annie character, which is well developed and never presented as anything beyond what can be readily accepted as true to life. As the central character, Annie anchors the film and enables the circumstances in which she is involved to be perceived as real; it's the strength of the film, and it's what makes it all work so well.

What also makes it work is the strong performance by Cate Blanchett, who makes Annie so real and accessible, displaying her `gift' with restraint and avoiding the possible pitfall of taking it too far over the edge, which could easily have made it suspect. Instead, she brings a depth to the character that draws you into her world and allows you to empathize with her, which would have been impossible had she invested Annie with even a touch of the charlatan. With consummate skill, Blanchett creates a well rounded character which demonstrates that as an actor, she definitely has a very real `gift' of her own.

Ribisi also does a memorable turn as Buddy, with a striking performance in which he creates some disturbing moments that are almost painful to watch; his is a character study of a soul in distress, seeking solace and resolution, and even as he attempts to sort out his life, you are able to sympathize with his plight as you share Buddy's experiences. And it's through Buddy (as well as Annie, of course), that the audience is able to make that necessary and very real connection with the film. With films like `Saving Private Ryan' and now this one, Ribisi is on his way to establishing himself as one of the premiere character actors in the business today.

Playing somewhat against type, Reeves proves that he can be a good `bad' guy, giving possibly one of his best performances ever as Donnie. He very credibly conveys that sense of explosiveness lying just beneath the surface that makes his character menacing and dark, which in turn makes Donnie psychologically as well as physically threatening. It's a good job by Reeves, who deserves credit for taking on a role that is so disagreeable and insensitive.

The supporting cast includes Greg Kinnear (Wayne), Katie Holmes (Jessica), Kim Dickens (Linda), Gary Cole (David) and Rosemary Harris (Annie's Granny). A taut thriller that is emotionally involving, `The Gift' delivers what it promises early on, which is exceptional, as many films of this nature often fail to actually follow through after a tremendous opening act. Rest assured, this one does and has it all; suspense, credibility and some memorable moments, all courtesy of Raimi, a good story and a superb cast. And that's the magic of the movies. I rate this one 9/10.