The Gift (2000)

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

Director:

Sam Raimi

Writers:

Billy Bob Thornton, Tom Epperson

Stars:

Cate Blanchett, Katie Holmes, Keanu Reeves

11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cate Blanchett	...	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.

---

Plot Keywords:

extrasensory perception | breasts | implied incest | girl stripped down to panties | violence against women | 

---

Taglines:

Can you trust a witness who wasn't there?

---

Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language, and sexuality/nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

To prepare for her role in this film, Cate Blanchett visited five fortune tellers in one week. One of them told her she needed a bodyguard.

---

Goofs

The cards which Annie uses have nothing to do with fortune telling or prediction. There are called Zener cards and are a deck of twenty five cards, five of each symbol. They are used to test for ESP to see how closely a subject is able to predict their order in the deck or which one is hidden in an envelope.

---

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?

---

Connections

Referenced in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)

---

Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Cate Blanchett terrific

Jessica King (Katie Holmes), the fiancée of Wayne Collins (Greg Kinnear), has gone missing. Annabelle Wilson (Cate Blanchett) is the local psychic who has visions of Jessica King. Following her advise, Sheriff Pearl Johnson (J.K. Simmons) dredges the swamp and finds Jessica's body. Donnie Barksdale (Keanu Reeves) is jailed for the murder. However, Annabelle keeps getting visions. There's more to the murder.

Director Sam Raimi has teamed up with Billy Bob Thornton once again and this time as a writer. Cate Blanchett is terrific. There is an overload of big time actors. I almost wish that some of the lesser roles get played by smaller unknown actors. When it's overloaded like this, the movie can feel very Hollywood. However Blanchett never once feels fake in any way. She becomes the character with ease.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 January 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Gift

Filming Locations:

Effingham County, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,827, 25 December 2000

Gross USA:

$12,008,642

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$44,567,606

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lakeshore Entertainment, Alphaville Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1