The Gift (2000)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

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 | Pond | Widow | Clairvoyant | Extrasensory Perception

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: Annie picks up the photo album from her son's bed and carries it with her as she leaves, but once she is outside of the room, she no longer has it.

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:

Cherry Lips

Haunting and deliciously involving

Southern psychic and single parent Cate Blanchett is pulled against her will into the logistics of a popular local girl's disappearance. Although the brutality inherent in the script is laid on with a trowel, "The Gift" has many mesmerizing moments, not the least of which is the casting of luminous Blanchett, sensational in the lead. Anyone who has seen Kevin Bacon's "Stir Of Echoes" will notice some curious similarities, but I found this movie much preferable, as it uses a terrific ensemble cast to its full advantage, and weaves a plot that is by turns outrageous and completely absorbing. I bought right into "The Gift" and stayed with it breathlessly every step of the way. ***1/2 from ****