The Gift Review
By Z. Peterson
Is this "Gift" returnable?
On paper, it would seem a no-brainer: "The Gift" should be an excellent film. Boasting an all-star cast including no fewer than three Oscar nominees, directed by a proven master of the taut suspense thriller, and co-scripted by the Academy Award winning auteur behind "Sling Blade" how could it not be? Unfortunately, watching this supernatural murder mystery unfold gives one an eerie feeling—not of frightening otherworldly forces at work—but that we've see it all before.
The setting is an anonymous backwoods town in the deep south; "Deliverance" country. It's the kind of place where it seems every resident either wants to kill someone or jump in bed with them, and in many instances both. The pervasive sense of menace is almost as thick as the fog shrouding its tree-lined outskirts.
At the center of the action is Annie Wilson (Cate Blanchett of "Elizabeth"), a recently widowed mother of three. She possesses the "gift" of film's title: an uncanny ability to foresee the future. As is often the case in films such as this one, h er swirling visions of carnage and cadavers arrive at the most inopportune moments, most often when she's alone in the middle of the night.
Since the loss of her husband in a freak factory mishap, Wilson makes a living serving as a spiritual advisor to troubled locals. Suffice it to say her appointment book is full. One client's abusive thug of a husband (a surprisingly effective Keanu Reeves) becomes particularly problematic for the fortuneteller, threatening to kill her and her children if she continues to advise his bruised and battered wife (Hillary Swank, sporting what might be the worst wig in recent motion picture history).
Before long, the town debutante/nymphomaniac (Katie Holmes) is reported missing and the local sheriff is left with no other recourse than to consult the resident devil worshipper for clues to her whereabouts. Wilson reluctantly joins in the hunt that soon becomes a murder mystery--one with potentially deadly consequences for her. "The Gift" stumbles though the obligatory courtroom scene and clumsily delivers the identity of the killer long after those watching have figured it out. Hitchcock would not have been impressed.
Director Sam Raimi (of the unfairly overlooked "A Simple Plan") does an effective job pacing the action and provides some stunning visuals, but ultimately can't transcend the shortcomings of the script. The further the hunt for the girl's killer progresses, the higher the pile of cliches gets. "Thrills" come off as nothing more than funhouse trickery. Though once again exploring the familiar rural territory of "Sling Blade", Billy Bob Thornton and his collaborator Tom Epperson don't seem to have an original idea between the two of them for the screenplay.
The film's major saving grace, and it is a considerable one, is the haunting performance of Blanchett. She is riveting in every scene she inhabits, and thankfully there are many. This role is the polar opposite her breakout portrayal of Elizabeth I and she is equally effective in a new setting. Not only is the Australian actress utterly believable as a small-town southerner, she is more authentic than many of her high-profile American co-stars. Blanchett is as at ease in this environment as Sissy Spacek or Jessica Lange would be.
The performances of other actors in the cast do not come off so successfully. As the local nice-guy and spurned fiancée of the murdered girl, Greg Kinnear can't shake his small-screen "Talk Soup" presence while Swank, so riveting in "Boys Don't Cry", is disappointingly forgettable. In an underwritten role, instead of evoking sympathy, she is simply grating. Playing the seductress/victim, the only new ground Katie Holmes breaks as an actress is to reveal parts of her anatomy the WB can't show. If this is her agent's idea of career growth, someone needs to be issued walking papers immediately.
In a subplot which feels oddly tacked-on, Giovanni Ribisi ("Saving Private Ryan", "Boiler Room") plays a troubled local soul who comes to the fortuneteller for help discovering the root of his deep-seeded psychological anguish. Ribisi's performance is vibrant and deliciously unpredictable, but the significance of his character remains a mystery until the conclusion of the film. Once revealed however, it, like much of this movie, rings hollow.
This "Gift" is a decidedly unsatisfying one.
