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, Katie Holmes, 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:

woman | pond | abusive husband | clairvoyant | widow | 

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Taglines:

The only witness to the crime was not even there

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language, and sexuality/nudity

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, Limited Release

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Keanu Reeves and his on-screen wife Hilary Swank visited with local spousal abuse counselors to understand why men were abusive to their wives and why the wives stayed with the husbands.

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Goofs

When Annie gives a reading for Valerie Barksdale her watch is on the table as usual. But as she collects the cards, her watch is on her wrist.

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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

Spoofs Back to the Future (1985)

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Soundtracks

Trouble Is A Lonesome Town
Written and Performed by Lee Hazlewood
Courtesy of Okemah Productions - SLR Records

User Reviews

Haunting and deliciously involving

Southern psychic and widowed mother of three is pulled against her will into the logistics of a popular local girl's disappearance. Although the brutality inherent in the script is laid on with a trowel, "The Gift" has many mesmerizing attributes, not the least of which is Sam Raimi's assured direction and the casting of luminous Cate Blanchett, sensational in the lead. Anyone who has seen Kevin Bacon's "Stir Of Echoes" will notice some curious similarities, but I found this movie much preferable, as it uses a terrific ensemble cast to its full advantage, and weaves a plot that is by turns outrageous and completely absorbing. I bought right into "The Gift" and stayed with it breathlessly every step of the way. ***1/2 from ****