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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot over a period of 8 weeks.

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Goofs

When Buddy Cole has his father tied up and he's going nuts outside their house, there is a part where he slightly turns away (toward the siding of the white house.) That part of his "speech" is voiced over because he's talking, but his lips are not moving.

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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

Remade as Blood (2004)

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Soundtracks

Cherry Lips
By Lucky Lawrence
Performed by The Souvenirs
Courtesy of WILL 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 ****

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