The Box (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.

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Plot Keywords:

nosebleed | box | 24 hours | decision | letter | 

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Taglines:

All you have to do is push the button.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. Wild Bunch Distribution [France]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 November 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Box - Du bist das Experiment

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$16,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$7,571,417 (USA) (6 November 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

The uniforms and badges with the exception of the police patch are accurate for the Richmond, VA Bureau of Police in the 1970s. Also the outside view of the police headquarters is an accurate depiction of the old HQ located at 10th and Marshall St in Richmond, VA.

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Goofs

When Norma's watching television early in the film, a commercial comes on advertising the debut of the sitcom "What's Happening!!" The date was earlier established as December 16, 1976, when Arthur attends the Viking seminar. "What's Happening!!" actually premiered on August 5, 1976.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Norm Cahill: Walter's upstairs, he's okay. They assure me you and your son will be taken care of.

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Connections

Version of The Twilight Zone: Profile in Silver/Button, Button (1986)

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Soundtracks

Mustang Sally
Written by Bonny Rice
Performed by Wilson Pickett
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

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.