Review of The Gift (2000) by Spangle — 05 May 2016

Featuring a star-studded cast, Sam Raimi's The Gift cannot be classified as anything other than a disappointing effort. Raimi is at his very best here crafting a truly chilling atmosphere and carefully manufacturing each and every scare to maximum effect.

The Gift can be a truly horrifying experience at times and this has to be its strongest asset. The acting is also very strong, but of course it is with a cast that includes Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Keanu Reeves, Katie Holmes, Greg Kinnear, Hilary Swank, JK Simmons, Gary Cole, and Kim Dickens.

Everybody delivers here and this cast is more than worth your time. However, the film shoots itself in the face repeatedly at the end of the film. Featuring a predictable "twist" that anybody could see after 20 minutes into the film and a stupidly convenient ending that is also deeply sexist really make The Gift's ending feel more like a slap to the face than anything.

Even worse, the film was effectively scary up to this point, even if it was incredibly conventional. Instead of being an acceptable thriller that adds very little to the genre, it is merely a disappointing effort from all involved that deserved far better writing and a less dumb ending.