Highly Overrated But Still Good

best movie i've ever seen.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Cate Blanchett plays Annie Wilson, a southern widow with three sons who is just scraping by financially. She does psychic readings to supplement her Social Security benefits. Some of her visions are thrust upon her, rather than sought after. And some of them are gruesome. The gift is also a curse.Blanchett's ethereal beauty somehow never gets in the way of this story about the modest and retiring Annie. And neither does the accent she must effect. Her fine performance is the center of this drama that involves a battered wife (Katie Holmes) and her threatening husband (Keanu Reeves). The rest of the cast, including Giovanni Ribisi, Greg Kinnear, Hilary Swank, Michael Jeter and J.K. Simmons, is formidable.The plot evolves into a murder mystery, then a trial drama, until the final act reveals the truth about an unfortunate night.Most of the characters in this film are dysfunctional or damaged. The story is co-written by Billy Bob Thornton, who certainly knows his way around southern Gothic, redneck drama. With such well-developed characters and setting, this is a film that could support a number of sequels.

The Gift is one of the more serious films made by Sam Raimi,which is not a positive and not a negative thing, because this movie is as good as Evil Dead, or Spider-Man, only a different kind of Story.It's from 2000, around this time people seemed to make movies to tell interesting stories, not just to sell toys, and this movie is a great example. It's written by the well-known actor Billy Bob-Thornton who was inspired by his mother who apparently had some sort of psychic powers. If you believe something like that or not is completely subjective and has no impact on your enjoyment of this fictional tale, which is very dramatic and very well told.The camera-work isn't as outrages and wild as in over Raimi movies, which fits the story and underlines the tone of the movie perfectly. Because of this, the creative and intense scenes in which the protagonist has symbolic dreams, or psychic premonitions are all the more effective, and the visual effects are almost unnoticeable, even after all these years.The acting in this film is overall fantastic, one of the strongest reasons why this movie works for me is that i was completely engaged. I was afraid that Cate Blanchett's character, or her children could get hurt by Keanu Reeves, who's unbelievably threatening in this film and gives one of his best performances. Not to mention Giovanni Ribisi, J.K. Simmons, Katie Holmes or especially Greg Kinnear.The soundtrack by Christopher Young (who Raimi would later work with on Spider-Man 3) also fits well for the setting and atmosphere. All in all i was very surprised by the quality of this movie, which also has a very satisfying conclusion.It reminded me in some aspects of one of my favourite thrillers "What lies beneath" which came out the same year...

brilliant acting. impressive cast. and the unique Cate Blanchette. pieces of a most common and special thriller. tale of a gift and which hunting. and force of a woman out of any pressure. not action is important. but the structure. not fear. but delicacy of feelings. moral lesson, metaphor, remember of Christian values, subtle game and silent joy of inspired end. a film as silk. colors, touch, waters of past, the truth and desire to give to others each slice of your gift. vulnerability as heart of force. courage as skin for profound fear. all as beautiful work of a great actress and precise art of each of her partners.

This movie might be in my top-ten not to see comfortable in my bed, on a rainy afternoon. Usually, I like to see hard action movies on the great screen of a theater, and psychological drama movies alone, at home, advertising the family not to disturb. Well, in fact "The Gift" works both ways, and I feel the need to give all my credits and respect to the writers, the director, the whole actors team. Cate Blanchett was amazing from the first scene up to the end. Her performance has been awesome, as the neurotic single mother of three, her gift necessarily to make a living, yet social controversial. At some point, one could see her eyes's injected like after crying a lot, is this possible to be "a special effect", I wonder: yes, but ingenious. Keanu Reeves, one of the most controversial stars of all times, has constructed here an unbelievable role of a rude, brutal, huge, abusing husband versus the kiddo "knock, knock" looks as Neo, a year before. My respects here. The feelings of being unsecured, trapped transcends and catches the viewers. (This is what I have felt). The whole atmosphere was genial realized, like in a black and white old movie, but the end where in the cemetery, one can feels peace and mild autumn colors. While by 3/4 section movie you can guess that Donnie is not the killer and you keep for yourself the "disappointing" relationship with the movie, the switch on scene when Buddie Cole coming back to the rescue,the policeman saying that he was dead was also a great or ingenious ideas. Well, I have just said that the movie connects with the auditorium. That is very rare. Tremendous feeling. I have rated this movie 10 from 10, I do not feel the need to take a star or two. My only fancy question raises like that: why Keannu Reeves has felt right to perform two "bad guy" roles after the huge success in the Matrix, knowing there will be another Matrix -es? I mean "The Watcher" and this "The Gift". Has this superstar felt the need to indulge himself loosing fans... cause the bad guys's characters could dangerously decline a "Speed" or a "Matrix" career of the usually's Keannu Reeves positively heroes. The Warchovschy Bros have not counted this one?