Review of The Gift (2000) by Lindsay Elizabeth M — 22 Sep 2008

Fantastic cast, loved the way Cate Blanchett gave off a very convincing Southern accent, Giovanni Ribisi was probably the best of the cast as a mentally disturbed car repairman (makes me think of his role as Nicolas Cage's younger brother in Gone in Sixty Seconds) who considers Blanchett as his only friend in the entire town. Holmes was the sultry and adulterous (although she and Kinnear's character weren't even married) Jessica King, who ends up dead an hour and a half into the movie. Keanu Reeves was, for the first time. the badass, wife beater, and Hilary Swank, despite her future Million Dollar Baby role, ended up as the punching bag this time around.

The only problem was that this film tended to be dragging in some scenes, but if you want deep and convincing acting, side by side with a bit of mystery and suspense (with a surprise revelation at the end), this film is for you.