It's tough to review a movie categorized as a suspense thriller without ruining some element of the suspense and twists, but I'll keep it as spoiler free as I can.

 

“The Gift” stars Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall as married couple Simon and Robyn, who have just moved to a neighborhood close to where Simon grew up. They quickly bump into Gordo who is played by Joel Edgerton. Edgerton also wrote and directed the film.

 

“The Gift” is being touted as a modern version of “Fatal Attraction”. The subject and certain elements are quite similar, but it would be difficult to tell a story of this style without some parallels being made, deliberate or accidental.

 

I'd say the best part of the movie is Bateman's strong acting. He has proven to be the cynical, funny guy in many movies and on TV, but as a dramatic lead he delivers. His character has broad a range of emotions and characteristic and Bateman convinced me on all aspects.

 

Edgerton (Gordo) was also quite strong as the 'creepy' rival to Bateman. He is quite convincing a simple, bitter man with some deep seeded resentment to Bateman's Simon. Rebecca Hall was decent as Simon's wife Robyn, but for some reason she seemed to be far more of a victim than I would have liked. Somehow I was reminded of Shelley Duvall's character from “The Shining”. David Denman had a brief part as Greg, a former childhood friend of Simon. I recognized him as Roy, Pam's former boyfriend from “The Office”. I found his acting, as brief as it was, to be quite wooden and unconvincing. It was a minor part, but to me, the weakest acting in the film.

 

The movie does a decent job of keeping you guessing throughout, with the odd twist and turn intended to shock. There were certainly some tense moments and those that will make you jump in your seat, even if you are expecting it. If you are watching closely it should be fairly easy to anticipate most of the twists as every snippet of dialogue and every visual cue is relevant to the story.

 

The flow of the story seemed a bit broken as you are following the various characters here and there, never really knowing who to root for as the main protagonist. Although that's the point of a movie with plot twists, it does give the viewer a struggle in trying to associate with any of the characters.

 

While I found “The Gift” to be an interesting thriller with some great acting and a story that had me intrigued, in the end something felt a bit off to me. I enjoyed it overall, but wouldn't go recommending it to friends as a "must see thriller". It's certainly good enough to sit and watch at home on a Saturday night with a bowl of popcorn, but I wouldn't suggest making an expensive night out of seeing it in a theater, unless your motive is a night out.

 

I give it a 6 out of 10.

REVIEW: "The Gift" by Jason Thomas