The Gift (2000)

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

Director:

Sam Raimi

Writers:

Billy Bob Thornton, Tom Epperson

Stars:

Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Keanu Reeves

8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

When Jessica King goes missing, all eyes turn to Annabelle Wilson. Not as a murder suspect, but as a clairvoyant. Many of the towns folk go to Annabelle for help, and Jessica's fiancée, Wayne Collins, turns to Annabelle for possible guidance. Annabelle feels that she can't help, but this doesn't stop her from constantly getting visions of Jessica's fate.

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Plot Keywords:

pond | abusive husband | clairvoyant | widow | grave | 

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Taglines:

The only witness to the crime was not even there

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language, and sexuality/nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Artis Group [de] (german) Paramount Classics [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 January 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dar

Filming Locations:

Effingham County, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$432,409 (Italy) (31 August 2001)

Gross:

$13,139,364 (Europe) (31 August 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lakeshore Entertainment, Alphaville Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first UK radio spot incorrectly states the film is rated certificate 15. It was rated 18 when released theatrically which is evidenced by the other 2 radio spots and all 3 UK TV spots. These are available on the 2001 UK DVD release.

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Goofs

Wayne Collins' beer bottle moves between shots as he talks to Annie Wilson outside the country club.

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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?

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Connections

References The Evil Dead (1981)

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Soundtracks

"Hide Away"
By Lucky Lawrence
Performed by The Souvenirs
Courtesy of WILL Records

User Reviews

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