The Gift
3/4
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Keanu Reeves, Hilary Swank, Greg Kinnear, Katie Holmes, J.K. Simmons, Chelcie Ross, Gary Cole, Kim Dickens
Rated R for Violence, Language, and Sexuality/Nudity
It is one of cinema's great pleasures to see Cate Blanchett on screen. She's immensely talented and beautiful, and she never repeats herself. With one exception, "Notes on a Scandal," Blanchett has always given dynamite performances. Whether it's playing England's greatest monarch ("Elizabeth," her breakthrough role), a powerful Elf queen ("The Lord of the Rings" movies), or a dame in an homage to the classic potboilers ("The Good German"), Blanchett always delivers.
"The Gift" couldn't have come at a more perfect time for Blanchett. Although she gained acclaim and exposure (not to mention an Oscar nomination, which she should have won) with "Elizabeth" two years earlier, she was stuck in supporting roles after that (the lame flop "Bandits," the even lamer "Pushing Tin," the Oscar Wilde film "An Ideal Husband" and "The Talented Mr. Ripley," where she was severely underused). With Sam Raimi's film, she was given the lead in a mainstream film surrounded by a well-known and talented cast. The risk was that she'd get drowned out by all the star power. But with Blanchett, that never happens.
Blanchett plays Annie Wilson, a psychic in a small southern town. Unlike most psychics, she can actually do what she claims. She's poor after the death of her husband a year ago, and is looking after three boys. Social security helps some, but she has to read cards for clients to make ends meet. There are a few townspeople who drop in regularly, including the unstable mechanic Buddy (Ribisi) and Valerie, the beaten housewife who lacks the strength to leave her husband Donnie (Reeves). Also living in town is Wayne Collins (Kinnear), the kindly principal who is engaged to Jessica King (Holmes), the daughter of the local rich businessman Kenneth King (Ross). One night Jessica goes missing and the police, led by the disbelieving sheriff, Pearl Johnson (Simmons), have no one else to turn to but Annie. Of course, since she may be able to find Jessica when no one else can, her life becomes threatened.
Director Sam Raimi, who at this time was moving away from the cult movies that put his name on the map, takes his time telling his story. The murder mystery aspect doesn't get moving until the film is half over. Raimi wants us to get to know all the characters, especially Annie. Everyone has their secrets, and they all have a part, if tangentially, in what unfolds. While one can argue that he takes too much time doing this, it never gets boring.
The acting, as expected, is standout. Blanchett makes Annie into a woman who is simply using what she has to get by. She's a normal person who has an extraordinary talent that's as much a curse as it is a gift. Giovanni Ribisi is very good as the town oddball, playing the character with sympathy while giving us a sense of unease. We never know what he is capable of. Hilary Swank makes for a good battered woman. This is Swank when she works at it, not when she's on autopilot, and the difference is clear. Katie Holmes is excellent as the town sexpot, and Greg Kinnear does what he does best: play the everyman. Keanu Reeves is the weak link. He's not bad, but he is uneven. When he is active and energetic, he becomes frightening, but low-key intensity is not his strong suit, and when he has to act like that, the words don't come easily from his mouth. Character actors Chelcie Ross and J.K. Simmons provide solid support (with the latter providing some dark humor along the way). Kim Dickens reminds us once again why she never hit it big.
With the lead character being a psychic, the film runs the risk of turning Annie into a walking, talking deus ex machina. In other words, she could have become a plot device that has key revelations only when the plot requires her to. But the script, by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson, is too smart for that. Annie can see into the future, but she can't see everything. That lends an authenticity to her character and keeps the plot from becoming mechanical and predictable.
Sam Raimi has a good sense of atmosphere (this can be seen in the masterful and underrated thriller he made two years earlier, "A Simple Plan"). We soak in the swampy bayous, the poor county life, and the sense of menace. What the film doesn't have is rhythm. Most thrillers grow in suspense at specific intervals to keep us involved ("Copycat" and "Dead Again" are two examples of how this is used effectively). "The Gift" kind of just moves from beginning to end. That's not really a failure of the film, but Raimi doesn't highlight the twists like he should.
"The Gift" is the kind of movie you watch when you want to relax. It's safe, it's comfortable, but it works, too.
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Keanu Reeves, Hilary Swank, Greg Kinnear, Katie Holmes, J.K. Simmons, Chelcie Ross, Gary Cole, Kim Dickens
Rated R for Violence, Language, and Sexuality/Nudity
It is one of cinema's great pleasures to see Cate Blanchett on screen. She's immensely talented and beautiful, and she never repeats herself. With one exception, "Notes on a Scandal," Blanchett has always given dynamite performances. Whether it's playing England's greatest monarch ("Elizabeth," her breakthrough role), a powerful Elf queen ("The Lord of the Rings" movies), or a dame in an homage to the classic potboilers ("The Good German"), Blanchett always delivers.
"The Gift" couldn't have come at a more perfect time for Blanchett. Although she gained acclaim and exposure (not to mention an Oscar nomination, which she should have won) with "Elizabeth" two years earlier, she was stuck in supporting roles after that (the lame flop "Bandits," the even lamer "Pushing Tin," the Oscar Wilde film "An Ideal Husband" and "The Talented Mr. Ripley," where she was severely underused). With Sam Raimi's film, she was given the lead in a mainstream film surrounded by a well-known and talented cast. The risk was that she'd get drowned out by all the star power. But with Blanchett, that never happens.
Blanchett plays Annie Wilson, a psychic in a small southern town. Unlike most psychics, she can actually do what she claims. She's poor after the death of her husband a year ago, and is looking after three boys. Social security helps some, but she has to read cards for clients to make ends meet. There are a few townspeople who drop in regularly, including the unstable mechanic Buddy (Ribisi) and Valerie, the beaten housewife who lacks the strength to leave her husband Donnie (Reeves). Also living in town is Wayne Collins (Kinnear), the kindly principal who is engaged to Jessica King (Holmes), the daughter of the local rich businessman Kenneth King (Ross). One night Jessica goes missing and the police, led by the disbelieving sheriff, Pearl Johnson (Simmons), have no one else to turn to but Annie. Of course, since she may be able to find Jessica when no one else can, her life becomes threatened.
Director Sam Raimi, who at this time was moving away from the cult movies that put his name on the map, takes his time telling his story. The murder mystery aspect doesn't get moving until the film is half over. Raimi wants us to get to know all the characters, especially Annie. Everyone has their secrets, and they all have a part, if tangentially, in what unfolds. While one can argue that he takes too much time doing this, it never gets boring.
The acting, as expected, is standout. Blanchett makes Annie into a woman who is simply using what she has to get by. She's a normal person who has an extraordinary talent that's as much a curse as it is a gift. Giovanni Ribisi is very good as the town oddball, playing the character with sympathy while giving us a sense of unease. We never know what he is capable of. Hilary Swank makes for a good battered woman. This is Swank when she works at it, not when she's on autopilot, and the difference is clear. Katie Holmes is excellent as the town sexpot, and Greg Kinnear does what he does best: play the everyman. Keanu Reeves is the weak link. He's not bad, but he is uneven. When he is active and energetic, he becomes frightening, but low-key intensity is not his strong suit, and when he has to act like that, the words don't come easily from his mouth. Character actors Chelcie Ross and J.K. Simmons provide solid support (with the latter providing some dark humor along the way). Kim Dickens reminds us once again why she never hit it big.
With the lead character being a psychic, the film runs the risk of turning Annie into a walking, talking deus ex machina. In other words, she could have become a plot device that has key revelations only when the plot requires her to. But the script, by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson, is too smart for that. Annie can see into the future, but she can't see everything. That lends an authenticity to her character and keeps the plot from becoming mechanical and predictable.
Sam Raimi has a good sense of atmosphere (this can be seen in the masterful and underrated thriller he made two years earlier, "A Simple Plan"). We soak in the swampy bayous, the poor county life, and the sense of menace. What the film doesn't have is rhythm. Most thrillers grow in suspense at specific intervals to keep us involved ("Copycat" and "Dead Again" are two examples of how this is used effectively). "The Gift" kind of just moves from beginning to end. That's not really a failure of the film, but Raimi doesn't highlight the twists like he should.
"The Gift" is the kind of movie you watch when you want to relax. It's safe, it's comfortable, but it works, too.
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