The Gift

“The Gift” – a movie review by Tony Baksa 8/16/2015

Sun Rating – 2 Suns

                                                         

A good mystery is difficult to pull off these days.  As a collective movie going audience, we’ve seen it all. We are all too familiar with the mechanizations that propel a mystery. So, there’s nothing new under the sun. Well, once in a while there is. “Gone Girl” is a recent example of surprise twists and turns.  “The Gift” a new mystery seems to be reaching for this same effect. After all, isn’t that the purpose of a good suspense, to catch us unawares? Hitchcock was a master at this.

Produced, written and directed by Joel Edgerton “The Gift” almost succeeds. Edgerton does a fine job creating truly creepy suspense. The tone is realistic with subtle performances by Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall. Especially good is director Edgerton in a major role. He plays Gordo, a sad loner who runs into an old high school classmate, Simon (Bateman) and his wife, Robyn (Hall) in a home goods store. They have just relocated back to Bateman’s hometown where he has been given a high powered new job with all the trimmings – big money, perks and a glorious new house. It is apparent that Gordo – known as Weirdo back in high school, is Simon’s polar opposite.

Gordo insinuates himself into the couples lives by systematically giving them gifts – leaving them at their door or at work or just showing up unannounced. He especially has this habit of visiting while Simon is at work and Robyn is home alone. We begin to see why Gordo was called Weirdo twenty-seven years ago. This goes on for much of the movie with bits and pieces slowly being revealed about the true nature of the men’s long ago “friendship”.  Raising the bar a bit for this genre are themes of forgiveness, nostalgia and trust.

However, when the big reveal comes, it is such a letdown. It hardly seems worthy enough for what preceded it. Up until this point, “The Gift” – which actually refers to three final gifts, is a taut and riveting thriller. The performances are top notch. But that darn reveal doesn’t live up to all the fuss - plus it’s rather offensive and not in a good horror movie way. Perhaps if it were renamed “Much Ado About Nothing” audiences might feel less let down.

Without giving it away, the villain’s motivation which is really what “The Gift” is all about is weak and illogical. I just didn’t buy it. It’s unfortunate. This could have easily been fixed by a very minor rewrite. That beautifully chilling last shot as Gordo fades out of frame in a blur would have carried such weight. I would wager that with a rewrite, the film’s ending would have reached classic stature in years to come.

It doesn’t help a mystery, when half way through the plotting, too much is telegraphed. The guessing game shouldn’t be this easy.  I also had problems with plot points. There are too many holes in the script. These contrivances get in the way. Edgerton sacrifices believability for plot manipulation. He has a story to tell and he’ll be damned if plausibility hampers his task.

I will say this, however, Joel Edgerton is a good actor and a promising film maker. Maybe he’ll get it right next time out.


http://www.thesunnews.net/scene/201-'The_Gift_is_one_that_deserves_to_be_returned.html