The Gift

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amznwin.focus();} document.open(); document.write("<a href=javascript:popUp('http://buybox.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=reelmoviecriticc&link_code=xsc&creative=23424&camp=2025&path=/dt/assoc/tg/aa/xml/assoc/-/B00005JH9M/reelmoviecriticc/ref=ac_bb1_,_amazon')><img src=http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/associates/remote-buy-box/buy1.gif border=0 alt='Buy from Amazon.com' ></a>"); document.close(); </script> <noscript> <form method="POST" action="http://buybox.amazon.com/o/dt/assoc/handle-buy-box=B00005JH9M"> <input type="hidden" name="asin.B00005JH9M" value="1"> <input type="hidden" name="tag-value" value="reelmoviecriticc"> <input type="hidden" name="tag_value" value="reelmoviecriticc"> <input type="image" name="submit.add-to-cart" value="Buy from Amazon.com" border="0" alt="Buy from Amazon.com" src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/associates/add-to-cart.gif"> </form> </noscript>  </B></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="575"><div> <B>The Gift </B>***1/2  ( R )</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> Reviewed By George O. Singleton</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="549" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 23 WIDTH="545"><div> Always use your instincts</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="580" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Annie Wilson: Cate Blanchett</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Valerie Barksdale: Hilary Swank</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Donny Barksdale: Keanu Reeves</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Linda: Kim Dickens</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Mike Wilson: Lynnsee Provence</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Buddy Cole: Giovanni Ribisi</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Sheriff Johnson: J.K. Simmons</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Jessica King: Katie Holmes</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Wayne Collins: Greg Kinnear</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Albert Hawkins: John Beasley</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Director: Sam Raimi</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="304" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B>30 Second Bottom Line</B>: A small town psychic becomes the key witness in a murder trial. After she expresses doubt about the person charged with the crime, her life is in grave danger.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Story Line:</B> Annie Wilson (Cate Blanchett) is a widow of only a year with three young boys. She makes ends meet with her social security check and "donations" from psychic card readings. One of her clients is Valerie Barksdale (Hilary Swank) who wants to know what to do about the relationship with her abusive husband Donny (Keanu Reeves).</div> <bR> <div> Donny sees Annie as an enemy because she is meddling in his personal affairs and he accuses her of being both a devil and a witch. During an early confrontation, he tells her she is no better than "…Jews or n-----…."  Every aspect of his demeanor communicates that he is out of control.</div> <bR> <div>  Annie gets a call from the school principal, Wayne Collins (Greg Kinnear), concerning her son Mike's (Lynnsee Provence) unruly behavior. Their meeting in the principal's office is interrupted by Wayne's fiancée Jessica (Katie Holmes). Annie sees dark clouds ahead for Jessica but says nothing. During a party at the local country club, Annie learns that her best friend Linda (Kim Dickens) is interested in the local District Attorney. Obviously Linda isn't the only one with designs on him, when Annie goes to the restroom, she sees Jessica having sex with the DA. Pondering on this a moment, she decides to keep this information to herself when she walks outside and talks to Wayne who is wondering about Jessica's whereabouts.  </div> <bR> <div> It's clear that Jessica will be the murder victim because she is such a seminal slut. She cheats on her fiancé with both the attorney and Donny. When Jessica turns up missing and Sheriff Johnson (J.K. Simmons) has run out of everything he can think of to find her, he's reluctantly convinced by her father to go to Annie for a reading. This leads to the discovery of the body and the arrest of a suspect, Buddy Cole (Giovanni Ribisi), seen fighting with her the night she died.</div> <bR> <div> Buddy is the town crazy who fixes Annie's car on credit and is protective of her when Donny threatens her family. Buddy was traumatized by his father when he was a young boy, and the demons are becoming more possessive by the day.</div> <bR> <div> At the murder trail, Albert Hawkins (John Beasley) is a witness who gives the jury what they need to return a guilty verdict. Annie's recurring dreams at exactly 1:27 a.m. each night eventually convince her that the wrong man has been convicted. When she expresses her doubts to others, who had motives to be angry at Jessica, we suspect that Annie's life is truly in danger. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Tell Me More About It</B>: This is the best murder mystery I can recall in quite a while. In some ways it's spooky like <I>The Sixth Sense</I> and <I>What Lies Beneath</I> with its overtones of the supernatural and the dead. The difference is this feels real. Anyone who has been to a psychic or fortune teller and been surprised by how on target much of what they have to say is, will see Annie as being the real deal. </div> <bR> <div> Although spousal abuse is a subplot message in the film, it comes across as really something to think about. On a subsequent visit to Annie, Valerie removes her sunglasses and the audience gasps when they see her black and swollen eye. In this case, theoretically you don't need any advice to know you need to leave your husband. </div> <div>  </div> <div> As we are learn about Annie's preternatural skills and the dynamics of her household, with little money and three sons to support, we are introduced to other characters in the southern town of Brixton, GA, who are suspects for the murder.</div> <bR> <div> Guessing who the killer is proves to be fun. The thrill comes when you try to determine how Annie will escape becoming the next victim. <I>The Gift</I> gives us the present of a film with a really great ending. </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="591" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> R (sex; nudity; violence; language)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> George O. Singleton © 2001</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> <A HREF="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com"><U><U>George@reelmoviecritic.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> Mini Filmography </div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Cate Blanchett: <I>The Talented Mr. Ripley</I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Hilary Swank: <I>Boy's Don't Cry</I></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Keanu Reeves: <I>The Watcher</I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Kim Dickens: <I>Hollow Man</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="286"><div> Lynnsee Provence: <I>Debut</I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Giovanni Ribisi: <I>Gone in Sixty Seconds</I></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> J.K. Simmons: <I>The Cider House Rules</I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Katie Holmes: <I>Wonder Boys</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="286"><div> Greg Kinnear: <I>Nurse Betty</I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> John Beasley: <I>The General's Daughter</I></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Sam Raimi: <I>Young Hercules-TV</I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="286" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="473" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 65 WIDTH="467"><div>  <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=9jVMwncE8Ds&offerid=9619.10000042&type=4&subid=0"><IMG alt="Holiday Cyl 468x60" border=0 src="http://ads24.focalink.com/SmartBanner/nph-graphic?15883.236"></a><IMG border=0 width=1 height=1 src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=9jVMwncE8Ds&bids=9619.10000042&type=4&subid=0">  </div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>