Movie Review – ‘The Gift’ – Something’s a Little Off

Written and Directed by Joel Edgerton
Cast: Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, Joel Edgerton, Busy Philipps, Beau Knapp, Wendell Pierce, David Denman, Katie Aselton, P.J. Byrne
Soundtrack: Danny Bensi & Saunder Jurriaans

I’m in a tough spot with this one.

On the one hand, this is a mystery thriller filled with plot twists, and people have a right to not have those spoiled, so I don’t want to give anything too important away (the trailer reveals quite a bit as it is).

On the other hand, I want to give ‘The Gift’ an honest assessment, because it certainly did not live up to my expectations.

First things first, don’t believe the hoopla.  As it stands, this movie has a 93% rating on RottenTomatoes, but the current Metacritic score of 76 is much more accurate.  To be sure, ‘The Gift’ is a decent psychological thriller, and a worthy directorial debut from Joel Edgerton (I sincerely hope he continues to make movies, though perhaps with some more collaborative help), but it’s not to be compared with Hitchcock, or Fincher, or Soderbergh, or even Dan Gilroy.

Frankly, given the hype, I was hoping ‘The Gift’ would be the best thriller since ‘Side Effects‘, but it’s a far cry from that, though not without merit.  Edgerton’s overall story is actually the strongest factor, the big problem is that it’s not captured on screen in the best way possible.  One major issue is the lack of a strong protagonist; this may have been done to help add to the mystery, but it left me grasping for connection.  It’s one thing for a story to have twists and turns, but if you’re not really connecting to a character (or captivated by an interesting performance), then you’re not going to feel it when things move.

Also, what would be seen as a strength in many movies is actually a weakness in ‘The Gift’, in that it gets right into it.  The initial meeting between the two former schoolmates happens in the first five minutes, the first gift happens in the fist ten, and within the first fifteen minutes ol’ Gordo is knocking on the door of the house.  I think a little more build up with just our main couple would have better served the movie, and maybe helped bring more impact to what comes later.

Thematically, ‘The Gift’ covers quite a bit, such as the oft-encountered awkwardness of basic human interaction, running from the past vs. confronting it, fear of repeating negative events, and the nature of responsibility over our own lives and others’.  While these aspects help give the film some depth, it wasn’t enough to keep the movie from falling flat for me.

Overall, ‘The Gift’ is simple and effective, with a small and competent cast, and a lot to appreciate from a general story perspective.  Unfortunately, while there are plenty of twists you don’t see coming, there’s a lot of predictability in other areas, which tempers the thrills.

It’s not a bad movie by any stretch, just don’t expect a game-changer.

Rating: ★★★☆☆