The Box (I) (2009)

A small wooden box arrives on the doorstep of a married couple, who know that opening it will grant them a million dollars and kill someone they don't know.

Director:

Richard Kelly

Writers:

Richard Kelly (screenplay), Richard Matheson (short story "Button, Button")

Stars:

Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, Frank Langella

6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cameron Diaz	...	Norma Lewis
James Marsden	...	Arthur Lewis
Frank Langella	...	Arlington Steward
James Rebhorn	...	Norm Cahill
Holmes Osborne	...	Dick Burns
Sam Oz Stone	...	Walter Lewis
Gillian Jacobs	...	Dana
Celia Weston	...	Lana Burns
Deborah Rush	...	Clymene Steward
Lisa K. Wyatt	...	Rhonda Martin
Mark S. Cartier	...	Martin Teague (as Mark Cartier)
Kevin Robertson	...	Wendell Matheson
Michele Durrett	...	Rebecca Matheson
Ian Kahn	...	Vick Brenner
John Magaro	...	Charles

Storyline

Norma and Arthur Lewis, a suburban couple with a young child, receive a simple wooden box as a gift, which bears fatal and irrevocable consequences. A mysterious stranger delivers the message that the box promises to bestow upon its owner $1 million with the press of a button. However, pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world, someone they don't know. With just 24 hours to have the box in their possession, Norma and Arthur find themselves in the cross-hairs of a startling moral dilemma and must face the true nature of their humanity.

---

Plot Keywords:

box | button | 24 hours | key | consequence | 

---

Taglines:

You Are The Experiment

---

Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some violence and disturbing images

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. Wild Bunch Distribution [fr]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 November 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kutija

Filming Locations:

Boston Public Library - 700 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$16,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£474,938 (UK) (4 December 2009)

Gross:

$15,045,676 (USA) (1 January 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Radar Pictures, Media Rights Capital

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Veteran character actor, Basil Hoffman, was also in the original version of this story when "Button, Button" aired on The Twilight Zone: Profile in Silver/Button, Button.

---

Goofs

911 emergency services weren't available in Fairfax County until 1981.

---

Quotes

Arlington Steward: There are always consequences.

---

Connections

Spoofed in Tosh.0: Crying Giants Fan (2009)

---

Soundtracks

"Light in Your Eyes"
Written by Stephan Sechi (as Stephan M. Sechi)
Performed by Stephan Sechi
Courtesy of Crucial Music Corporation

User Reviews

Press the button and you will lose 2 hours of your life.

I know that so many reviews on IMDb are extreme, with reviewers either praising a film to the hilt or inarticulately tearing it to pieces. I find neither of these kind of reviews helpful, and so I do not give this film the awful review I am about to, lightly. The film is art-house science-fiction of the worst kind dressed up as a Hollywood blockbuster. The trailers draw you in by showing you what appears to be a cohesive plot, but is actually just a tiny part of a wilfully baffling series of events which are never properly resolved. I like films which challenge the viewer and I do not need to be spoon-fed a plot, and so my complaint against this film is not that it is too highbrow. No - the film is just terrible. As the credits roll you will feel genuine anger at having wasted your time on Cameron Diaz's wooden acting and a faltering plot-line. Avoid.