The Gift (2000)

I enjoyed this movie (believe it or not) but I absolutely hated how passive and dim Cate Blanchett's character was.I became furious at how she just buckles to everything and everyone! She leaves things out of her testimony that could make her seem more credible, because she's nervous I guess, she cries and stands by while this crazy man burns up his dad, nobody calls the police and the list goes on, why does she keep reading for this man's wife who is clearly an idiot, and why does she always LIE during her readings. Whats the point in doing the readings and carrying on if you are just going to not tell people, or lie to them? I wonder how many deaths or bad things she could have prevented... Is there some rule that psychic's can't change the future by telling the truth?AND why does everyone think this lady can read minds??? She never said that or acted like she could.The dim witted behavior doesn't stop with her. When I tell my daughter to stay outside, that's what I mean. Why do her kids always seem to show up when she told them to stay away? I hate when writers try to drop that in for suspense. Isn't it bad enough she found the cards on the bed? Wouldn't have made a difference if the kids saw...I liked the twists and turns in the movie and I thought Giovanni Ribisi was brilliant, compared to everyone else. Keanu did a good job of acting mad and mean as hell, Katie Holmes played a pretty good slut and Hilary Swank, well, she wore the heck out of the mullet.I would recommend this movie but please be prepared to ignore a bunch of country bumpkin isms and idiots as you make your way through.

Keanu Reeves Cate Blanchett, and Katie Holmes, star studded affair as a pyshic reader is called in when a woman disappears and the police can't find her, she is asked by the girl's rich father to look for her,, as time passes she has vibes that tell her where to look,, soon she finds the girl in a pond dead. this lead's to the suspicion of her violent husband played by Keanu Reeves,, I thought a lot of people were turned off by his character, seeing how abusive he was to his wife. is he the killer,, sure looks like it , but looks can be deceiving,, even after the husband is locked up she still has vibes about the killing.. you will just have to watch and see if Donnie really did kill his wife or is there someone else out there who had it in for her,, yeah the father daughter kiss, kinda threw me off guard, I was like wait a minute weren't they a little too close.

First of all, I would like to express how much I liked the movie soon after I've done watching it. The scene-switching goofs and errors aren't enough to destroy the whole of the film.I like the entire concept of having a crime which was witnessed by a person who wasn't even in the crime scene but witnessed it through her dreams and visions.Despite the fact that movies featuring extrasensory perception of a character is not very unique, what makes this movie really crafted is the great talent of its producers to create an ambiance of mystery without the need of making mainstream plots like having deaths caused by ghosts or monsters haunting for justice.I also liked that they were able to portray spooky scenes without using heavy prosthetic make-up and with just a little of computer generated effects. It made everything appear natural and affright natural.Furthermore, I know that the ending wasn't that perfect. There seem to be many aspects in the story left behind leaving the viewers ask: what happened to this and that. However, I don't know why I enjoy the ending that much (and that is how an ending should be, enjoyed by the viewers).The screen portrayal of nearly all individuals was quite good and that ain't surprising 'cause they all are awarded by different awarding bodies.The over exposure of the trees however, is I believe, something that is not needed because it just kills the runtime. The time occupied by showing the trees should have been used for something else that contributes to the development of frighten from the audience and development of the plot, as well.Overall, I'd give it a score of 8 out of 10. Great job.

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?