Movie Review: The Gift

Mystery/Thriller

Rated – M

Duration – 108mins

Release – August 2015

Director – Joel Edgerton

Writer – Joel Edgerton

Cast – Joel Edgerton, Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall

Mr Knight

Our very own Joel Edgerton brings his first film in the director’s chair with The Gift. Starring director Joel Edgerton, Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall, Edgerton delivers an edge of your seat suspense thriller with the simple theme of how your past can come knocking... and leave you a creepy gift.

Simon (Bateman) moves back to his home state California, with his wife Robyn (Rebecca Hall). After a new job opportunity for Simon, the couple shift into a beautiful home and appear to have it all. By chance whilst homeware shopping Simon is approached by a socially awkward high school acquaintance, Gordo, who at first isn’t recognized by Simon.

Following the polite encounter Robyn and Simon experience a string of uninvited visits by Gordo at their home, as well as a series of seemingly thoughtful gifts at their doorstep. After a time the visits once harmless, start to become unnerving, and for Robyn the paranoia begins to creep in.

As Robyn tries to understand Gordo, secrets from his and Simons past begin to surface and the question of who to believe and who to trust begins to haunt Robyn and bring questions which she fears the answers.

Jason Bateman delivers in a more serious style of film to what Bateman fans may be used to. However, when I thought more on it, Jason Bateman suited this role perfectly and I thought back to all his roles and he seems to play the same character despite what it is. Think to the Horrible Bosses franchise, The Change Up, Identity Thief and Arrested Development, Bateman always plays a sensible, highly strung, questioner of stupidity, relatively successful business man with a nice family, surrounded by idiots. His character in this is no different and his dabble in the serious compared to comedy fit him like a glove.

Rebecca Hall was also well cast playing a role she seemed made for. Hall, who has starred in features including Iron Man 3, Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona and Transcendence, seems the right fit for an attractive, intelligent woman, with a touch of trust issues and paranoia to play the stay at home, scared of the empty house noises, wife. Joel Edgerton who has been smashing Hollywood in the last five years also delivers as the highly awkward, creep from the past, to the point where half the cinema screamed aloud when a quick close up of his face featured at one stage during the film!

All in all, considering it was a directional debut, with a small budget, relatively unchanging setting and small cast, the storyline had enough intrigue and questions to keep me engaged. I felt some of Hall and Batemans past could have been explored more to build the suspense, but besides that I found it thoroughly enjoyable. A thriller at its simplest.

Mrs Knight

The Gift gets a 10 out of 10 for suspense. We were amongst some very animated cinema patrons who screamed and jumped out of their seats a couple of times. While I was fighting to ‘stay cool’ during the suspense filled scenes.

The story is full of twists and turns to keep you guessing and leaves you not knowing who to trust. I’ll keep the storyline vague, as I don’t want to spoil anything. It’s about a young married couple, played by Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall. Someone from Simon’s (Bateman) past comes into their lives with a mysterious nature and secrets begin to unfold.

The film is well written and directed by Australia’s own Joel Edgerton, who was also one of the leading actors, playing the creepy acquaintance from Simon’s past, Gordo. I wonder why he casted himself in that role.

From the very first scene I was on the edge of my seat, trying to anticipate the storyline. I sound like Mr Knight with this next comment, but I didn’t find any of the characters likeable, not even Jason Bateman, which was disappointing. I usually love him, but he was an untrustworthy, nasty character. Rebecca Hall played her character Robyn well and was believable but just did nothing for me in terms of feeling for her.

For this reason, the film left me feeling slightly flat and disappointed. None the less, it was a gripping tale, with great direction from Edgerton for his directorial debut.