The Gift (2000)
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| Directed by: |
Sam
Raimi
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| Starring: |
Cate
Blanchett/Annie |
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Keanu
Reeves/Danny |
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Giovanni
Ribisi/Buddy |
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Katie
Holmes/Jessica |
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| RATING
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PLOT-CRUNCH:
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Annie (Blanchett) is a mother, a widow
and a psychic. She makes most of her money giving readings to her fellow
town folks. Everyone does not look upon her psychic gift positively. Some
backwoods religious morons (yes, I mean you Keanu!) claim she works for the
devil (people like that still exist?). Her life gets more complicated when
she’s asked to help out on a missing girl case. The girl eventually
shows up dead and Annie unwittingly becomes the only person who can really
solve the murder. Will the killer get to her before she discovers their
identity?
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THE
LOWDOWN: |
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The Gift boasts some amazing credentials. It’s written by Billy Bob
Thornton (co-written with good friend Tom Epperson), it has an all-star
cast and is directed by horror maestro Sam Raimi. Did it blow my cap off?
No. Is it a very good movie? Yes. This is what I like to call a quiet
horror movie. For two hours I witnessed a chain of events that never fully
thrilled me but never bored me either (not even close). The film has a few
jump scares, some creepy images and some gnarly shots but it never got
overwhelming. In fact, if you remove the whole psychic thang, this one could easily go
down as a straight drama. It’s a character driven piece with some
chilling psychic flashes tossed in the mix.
What stops this flick
from being fantastic is that its priorities are messed up (for a horror
fan anyways). The drama comes first. All of the characters have something
bad going on in their lives and the movie explores that deeply. I don’t
mind drama but here all of the characters (except Annie) are too nutty for
me to relate with. I had trouble feeling for them (although I did feel bad
for super f**ked up Ribisi). The second aspect most explored is Annie’s
psychic visions. Yes, they’re creepy and effective but they don’t
really bring much to the plot (which concentrates more on domestic horror:
child molesting, wife beating…not fun…). The movie also pushes her
gift too far. I had trouble buying dead people coming to visit her and
giving her solid objects. The least explored aspect is the murder case
itself which eventually becomes a whodunit (had me guessing). If the film
would have focused more on the grisly aspects, I think that the suspense and tension would
have been elevated. The film tries to cover too many territories at the
same time and unfortunately the ingredient most needed is only sprinkled
about...horror.
Even though the
film is soft on the horror vibe, there’s no denying the incredible cast
and the solid directing. Raimi really fills this one with a chilling
ambiance. But I’m still pondering why the psychic stuff was tossed in
there? The movie didn’t really need it or use it to its full potential.
Expect a drama and you will be pleased. But if you’re looking for Evil
Dead Part 4…this isn’t it. Now stare into these cards…
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| ACTING: |
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Cate Blanchett (Annie) is in almost every frame of the film and delivers.
She hits all the right notes and I lost myself in her beautiful blue eyes
more than once. Keanu Reeves (Danny) is very credible as the wife beating
Christian and he doesn’t say "whoa" once. Giovanni Ribisi
(Buddy) does very well as the totally messed up dude but he’s played
this role before. Greg Kinnear (Wayne) is Greg Kinnear again…great part!
Katie Holmes (Jessica) looks delicious in loose dresses… Gary Cole
(David) rules one more time and Hollywood should use him more often.
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| GORE: |
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A decaying corpse, some light blood…nothing major. This one is more
about mood than Ketchup.
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| T
& A: |
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Here it is what we’ve all been waiting for: the Katie Holmes’s tit
shot. It was awesome! Katie, you did not disappoint! Each breast
deserves a big WOW! Sorry ladies, Keanu kept his pants on in this one…
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| DIRECTING: |
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Moody is the word. Raimi gives us the same kind of vibe he put out in
"A Simple Plan". He makes great use of the surroundings (the
woods) and manages to slip in the slick "Raimi" shots we all
love. Eerie bits of high style here, Raimi’s still go the touch.
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| SOUNDTRACK: |
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I adored the score. A mix of backwoods twang and suicide inducing musical
arrangements. It’s not cheery that’s fer sure.
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| BOTTOM LINE: |
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Cross "Stir Of Echoes" with "Fried Green
Tomatoes" and you get a good idea of what The Gift is about. I dug it
a lot but considering the immense talent behind it, a tighter and more
horrifying script would have been nice…a little more edge to it. It’s
still worth the trip, the 12 bucks and the nacho plate though…(sit next
to a cute girl/boy/pet).
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| BULL'S EYE: |
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Supposedly Billy Bob Thornton loosely based this story on his mother's own
experiences with her psychic gift.
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this movie on The Arrow's HORROR BOARD
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