Release Date: October 27, 2015
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour 48 minutes

The Gift asks the question, “Can you really go through life having never wronged anyone?” Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall) are a young married couple whose life is going as planned until a chance run-in with Simon’s high-school acquaintance sends their world into a narrowing tailspin.

At first Simon doesn’t recognize Gordo (Joel Edgerton), but after a series of uninvited encounters and mysterious gifts prove troubling, a horrifying secret from the past is uncovered after more than 20 years. As Robyn learns the unsettling truth about what happened between Simon and Gordo, she is forced to contemplate: how well we really know those closest to us, and are bygones ever really bygones?

Is it just me or are you too always surprised when you see Jason Bateman in a serious role? He has plenty of variety on his resume but his comedy overshadows the drama every time for me. Which is actually in this case great because I’m always pleasantly surprised when I watch Bateman in a serious role. It’s refreshing.

Bateman’s role here is a great example of that. I really enjoyed the mystery of getting to know his character, Simon as well as slowly discovering the history between Simon and Gordo and how the dynamic now only further negatively influences all that takes place. It’s great.The exploration of his character’s past catching up to him and serious consequences following. Seeing so much of this through Simon’s wife, Robyn’s point of view was especially a really intriguing storytelling choice and I really enjoyed it. The mystery was intense, the tiny volcanoes throughout were very thrilling and I think writer/director/actor who plays Gordon in the film, Joel Edgerton nailed the tone and pacing and everything else to make this a really creepy character study of a bully and a victim.

It’s difficult to talk about this story without spoiling anything but I will say that the story was very well written. I watched this movie three times, for the first time, with commentary, and while writing my review and each time I took away more than I did the previous time. It’s more and more psychologically disturbing in each viewing and just as suspenseful every time. So if you’re looking for a film that’s not necessarily scary bit will give you quite a chill, The Gift is the movie to watch.

Special Features:

Alternate Ending (Approx. 7 minutes, including intro) – The alternate ending comes with the option to play a brief (approx. two minutes) introduction by writer/director/actor, Joel Edgerton. I think this ending would have been solid had the montage been a bit shorter. It was interesting seeing the story play out from Gordo’s POV but some of the cuts in the beginning could have been tossed and it would have been smoother because we’re in his POV much too long. Which is one of the reasons why this ending didn’t make it. No matter your thoughts on the ending of the movie, I think this ending is definitely worth the watch.

Deleted Scenes (Approx. 12 minutes, including intro) – There are four deleted scenes with the options to play all or individually as well as play the introductions by writer/director/actor, Joel Edgerton. Half of these were cut because they didn’t fit tonally which I completely understand. any hint of comedy in this movie feels off so it was wise to cut those scenes but also great to see them on the blu-ray.

Karma for Bullies (2 minutes) – In this feature, writer/director/actor, Joel Edgerton talks about his goal in exploring how bullying can affect the victim many years later and how a bully may feel about their actions and how they respond when confronted with a part of their past that may never leave them. Jason Bateman also makes a brief appearance in this feature as well. This feature would have been so much more useful had it included resources for those being bullied or those trying to get out of the disturbing cycle of bullying. It’s a shame this feature was basically as long as a teaser trailer.

The Darker Side of Jason Bateman (2 minutes) – This is basically the same feature as  the one before only the focus isn’t on bullying, it’s about Jason Bateman in this serious role when many people might know him more for his comedic work. But this feature barely even touches on that so it’s essentially pointless.

Commentary – The commentary is conducted by writer/director, Joel Edgerton and Editor, Luke Doolan. I picked up even more than I did the first time viewing so this was a great commentary. That said, it is a bit dry and monotone, so, you may or may not tune in and out as the commentary goes on.

Own The Gift on Blu-ray and DVD today.