The Gift (2015)

August 9, 2015 - The past comes back to haunt Jason Bateman in this suspense thriller written and directed by Joel Edgerton. Edgerton also co-stars in the film, along with Rebecca Hall, Busy Phillips and Tim Griffin.

Bateman and Hall play married couple Simon and Robyn. They've just bought a house in suburban Los Angeles, where Simon has landed a cushy job with some sort of tech company. Robyn ran an interior design company back in Chicago, but now she's running it from their new home. One day, when they're out shopping, they're approached by a man, Gordo (Edgerton), who says he knows Simon from high school. Simon is cordial and Robyn gives him their phone number. But, once they get home, Simon lets Robyn know that in high school, Gordo was known as "Gordo the weirdo."

Soon after, a bottle of wine shows up at Simon's door. Then, Gordo himself shows up while Simon is at work and convinces Robyn to let him in the house. After that, there's a dinner party and more gifts. It all seems harmless enough, so why does Simon want to cut ties with Gordo? He won't tell Robyn, so she sets out on her own to find the truth.

Overall review: *** There’s not a lot of action in this movie, but it builds suspense through conversation and behavior that's just "off" enough to make you feel uncomfortable. The other thing that's going on here is that, as the movie goes on, you don't know who to believe and, quite honestly, you're not even sure if you like any of these people. But, whether you like them or not, I think you can identify with them, and that's the true gift of this movie.