|
Actors: Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Greg Kinnear, Katie Holmes, Keanu Reeves
|
|
| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about The Gift |
|---|
Annabelle 'Annie' Wilson (Cate Blanchett) is struggling to make ends meet and to make a life for herself and her two sons after her husband died suddenly. A small-town Georgia psychic, Annie tried to warn her husband about the upcoming accident, but he laughed it off. Haunted by what might have been, Annie turns her efforts to helping her clients.
Buddy Cole (Giovanni Ribisi) is a sweet, good-natured mechanic who is always willing to help Annie out, but he sometimes lashes out for apparently no reason at all. Annie cannot get Buddy to start looking internally to fix the problems and she cannot always give Buddy the time and attention that he needs...
Valerie Barksdale (Hilary Swank) is an abused, undereducated woman who is terrified to leave her husband. Fearful for Valerie's life, Annie encourages her to leave her redneck husband, Donnie (Keanu Reeves), but Valerie is too frightened. When Donnie discovers what Annie has been telling Valerie, he targets Annie and her three boys and does his best to terrify them into leaving his family alone.
When a friend drags Annie off to a country club event, Annie is surprised to discover that the sweet school principal, Wayne Collins (Greg Kinnear) who has been so helpful with her boys is engaged to Jessica King (Katie Holmes), the local princess. It is too bad, because Annie feels the first sparks of passion for Wayne, something she hasn't felt for anyone since her husband died. When Jessica shows up murdered a short time later, Annie starts hoping that maybe something will develop with Wayne. But when no leads and a lack of clues lead the local police to Annie's door, however reluctantly, Annie finds that Jessica's ghost is ready and eager to be found - and now the killer is after her...
--Debbie, Resident Scholar
|
A psychic woman lives with her three kids. A woman who is about to marry a teacher is found dead. The main suspect is one of her lovers. He is charged and put in jail. However, the psychic begins to have nightmares that tell her it was someone else. She then begins her own investigation using her ability.
--Jack Bauer, Resident Scholar
|
| Analysis of The Gift |
|---|
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about
books by breaking them down into many different literary
elements, all of which are searchable (click here). |
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie
Actual chase scenes or violence - 20%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 45%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 35%
How difficult to spot villain?
- Difficult, but some clues given
Time/Era of Movie:
- 1980's-1999
- present (2000-2010)
Murder Mystery?
Yes
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 40%
- 50%
Misc. Plotlets
- victim dies just after sex
Special suspect?
- lover
Kind of mystery?
- psychic investigator
Romance
Yes
Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Profession/status:
- unemployed
Age:
- 20's-30's
Has special powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character:
- clairvoyant
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- blonde
Hair style
- medium/shoulderlgn, straight (woman)
Body type
- ample bosom & buttocks (woman)
- average (woman)
Events of movie makes character more...
- sad
- tougher
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
Hair style
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- average build (man)
How much in movie?
- 40%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- teacher/professor
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 40%
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
- (man) short/standard curly
Body type
- average (man)
- muscular (man)
unclothed?
- chest
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- average physique
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Deep South
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
- dumb rednecks, like Gomer Pyle
- hostile, like Gomer Pyle on steroids
- sinister, like an X-Files Gomer Pyle
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately messy visuals of dead
Movie makes you feel...
- in awe
- all mixed up
How many deaths in film?
- 2
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references only
- kissing
- touching of personal anatomy
- seeing breasts
- sex under blankets
How much use of techno gadgets?
- 1 (None)
Kind of violence:
- hand to hand
- guns
- knives
Unusual forms of death
- asphyxiation
- hanging
Any profanity?
- Some foul language
- A lot of foul language
If Soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Orchestra/classical
|
| Most similar reviews by Gordonator ranking |
|---|
| Gorky Park
starring William Hurt, Lee Marvin, Joanna Pacula, Brian Dennehy
|
| Knight Moves
starring Christopher Lambert, Diane Lane, Tom Skerritt, Daniel Baldwin
|
| Tell Me Something
starring Suk-kyu Han, Eun-ha Shim, Hang-seon Jang, Jung-ha Yum
|
| Sea of Love
starring Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin, John Goodman, Michael Rooker, Richard Jenkins
|
| Bodily Harm
starring Linda Fiorentino, Daniel Baldwin, Gregg Henry, Bill Smitrovich, Millie Perkins
|
|
Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
|
