The Gift (2015)

A young married couple's lives are thrown into a harrowing tailspin when an acquaintance from the husband's past brings mysterious gifts and a horrifying secret to light after more than 20 years.

Director:

Joel Edgerton

Writer:

Joel Edgerton

Stars:

Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, Joel Edgerton

2 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Bateman	...	Simon
Rebecca Hall	...	Robyn
Joel Edgerton	...	Gordo
Allison Tolman	...	Lucy
Tim Griffin	...	Kevin 'KK' Keelor
Busy Philipps	...	Duffy
Adam Lazarre-White	...	Ron
Beau Knapp	...	Detective Walker
Wendell Pierce	...	Detective Mills
Mirrah Foulkes	...	Wendy Dale
Nash Edgerton	...	Frank Dale
David Denman	...	Greg
Katie Aselton	...	Joan
David Joseph Craig	...	Stewart (as David Craig)
Susan May Pratt	...	Rhonda Ryan

Storyline

Simon and Robyn are a young married couple whose life is going just as planned until a chance encounter with an acquaintance from Simon's high school sends their world into a harrowing tailspin. Simon doesn't recognize Gordo at first, but after a series of uninvited encounters and mysterious gifts prove troubling, a horrifying secret from the past is uncovered after more than 20 years. As Robyn learns the unsettling truth about what happened between Simon and Gordo, she starts to question: how well do we really know the people closest to us, and are past bygones ever really bygones?

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Plot Keywords:

gift | compulsive liar | rape | substance abuse | fired from a job | 

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Taglines:

Not Every Gift Is Welcome.

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Instagram

Country:

USA Australia China

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 August 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Weirdo

Filming Locations:

15615 Castlewoods Drive, Sherman Oaks, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$11,854,273 (USA) (7 August 2015)

Gross:

$43,771,291 (USA) (2 October 2015)

Company Credits

Production Co:

STX Entertainment, Huayi Brothers Pictures, Blumhouse Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Three actors in this movie have also all starred in Horrible Bosses (2011) together: Jason Bateman, Wendell Pierce and P.J. Byrne.

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Goofs

The glass coffee container handle (just before the argument in the kitchen) changes direction.

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Quotes

Greg: I mean, it's amazing how an idea can take a hold and really bring a person down.

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Connections

References Rosemary's Baby (1968)

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Soundtracks

Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walküre
Written by Richard Wagner
Performed by The Budapest Symphony Orchestra (as Budapest Symphony Orchestra)
Conducted by György Lehel (as Gyorgy Lehel)
Courtesy of Capriccio Digital
By arrangement with Source/Q and Cobra Entertainment LLC

User Reviews

The Gift that keeps giving? Not quite

I'll start by saying I really like the 3 main actors in the movie and think they give off good performances. This is a very different role for Bateman and one that I think he does well to play quite convincingly. His wife is brilliant and Joel Edgerton as Gordo the Weirdo is excellent. The slight issue with this movie is the premise is one very similar to that of many films and this movie doesn't really tread that far into new territory. Also while the story and acting is good I don't think the characters are built well enough for us to care that deeply about the outcome. The supposed bad guy isn't bad enough and the good guys aren't really good enough. There are some decent twists and turns but nothing jaw dropping. I did enjoy the film but as you can tell from my review I think it could have been so much more with a few changes to the script and a bit more suspense. However I do recommend you give it a try for yourself as the acting is great and it is still above average for a suspenseful thriller.