The Gift

Released 2000
Stars Cate Blanchett, Katie Holmes, Keanu Reeves, Giovanni Ribisi, Greg Kinnear, Hilary Swank
Directed by Sam Raimi

The Gift tells the story of Annie Wilson (Cate Blanchett), a widowed psychic scraping out a meager living by telling fortunes. Having lost her husband a year ago, she must provide for herself and her three young boys. There are plenty of people in the backwater Southern town who don't approve of what Annie does - they think she's a fraud or in league with the devil. Chief among them is Donnie Barksdale (Keanu Reeves), the abusive husband of one of Annie's clients, Valerie (Hilary Swank). One of Annie's few defenders is Buddy Cole (Giovanni Ribisi), the emotionally disturbed owner of a local garage. And, although Annie isn't looking for romance, there's clearly a connection between her and clean-cut Wayne Collins (Greg Kinnear), the principal at her sons' school. But a relationship doesn't look likely - Wayne is set to marry Jessica King (Katie Holmes), whose father is one of the most respected men in town. Then, one night, Jessica turns up missing and Annie experiences visions that implicate Donnie in her murder. Unwilling to credit the genuine nature of Annie's talent, the police are reluctant to believe her, but when the investigation uncovers a body, Annie becomes a star witness in a sensational trial.

Summary by Roger Ebert

I was hornswaggled into renting this puppy. It has all the elements (performances, direction, cinematography, etc.) for a good flick, but it's hamstrung by a pedestrian script. It was immediately obvious to me the killer was going to be the seemingly nice guy but actually psycho, jealous boyfriend, but it had me wondering for a while if he was in cahoots with the prosecuting attorney. It had me wondering, but it sure didn't have me caring. Sadly, the ending becomes completely silly. If I were having these visions, I'd wait until I knew who did it before I went to talk to each of the suspects alone. I also know there's no chance I'd go to the crime scene in the middle of a rainy night with someone who had the motive. I laughed out loud at that point, and I don't think I was supposed to. --Bill Alward, November 30, 2003