The Gift (2015) Review

"You think you're done with the past, but the past is not done with you."
-Gordo Mosley



Simon Callem (Jason Bateman) and his wife, Robyn (Rebecca Hall), move from Chicago to Los Angeles, not far from where Simon grew up.  They run into an old classmate of Simon's, Gordo Mosley (Joel Edgerton), who is a bit socially awkward, stopping by their house randomly and giving them gifts.  Robyn thinks he is sweet, but Simon is uncomfortable around him, eventually telling Gordo to stay away.  Strange things begin to happen around the Callem's home and they suspect Gordo, but Robyn soon discovers that Simon has not been truthful about his past with Gordo and isn't as innocent as he pretends to be.


What Works:

The acting is the best part of The Gift and all three leads do a fantastic job.  Robyn is our protagonist and she does a great job getting us to empathize with her, even if she has some issues of her own.  We see the film through her eyes for the most part and it's great discovering the truth alongside her.

Jason Bateman also does a fantastic job, with a subtle performance at the beginning and becoming more transparent later on.  He is great at being a jerk.

Joel Edgarton is also fantastic.  He seems nice, but we know there is something off about him, but we don't know to what extent.  We don't get to see a ton of him, but the film does a great job of making us feel bad for him, but also keeps us on our toes when he is around.  Edgarton also directed the film and did a fantastic job for a first-time director.

My favorite part of the film comes about halfway through, when Robyn has a conversation with Simon's sister, Joan (Katie Aselton), and we get our first bit of information about Simon and Gordo's past.  It goes from 0 to 100 real fast and I bolted upright in shock.  From that point on I was glued to the screen.  The information is delivered so casually and I really enjoyed it.


What Sucks:

This movie is a slow-burn, and the first half is a little too slow at times.  It takes awhile for us to get into the thick of this film and there were a few moments where I could feel myself losing interest.

The ending of this movie is disgusting and not in the fun way.  It's gross in the "I need to go take a shower after watching this because I feel dirty" way.  As we approached the end of the movie, I was totally on Gordo's side and enjoyed watching everything fall apart for Simon.  The guy is a terrible person, but at the end, I felt kinda bad for him.  Gordo took it too far and it was not an enjoyable ending.  I just felt dirty and sick.


Verdict:

 It takes a bit for The Gift to get going and it goes too far with it's ending, but it was one hell of a ride. The performances, writing, and directing were all great and I love how it goes from 0 to 100 at the drop of a hat.  It has a few flaws, but it still has absolutely got it going on.  You'll just probably need to take a shower when it's all said and done.

 8/10: Really Good 

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