"The Gift" Movie

The movie, "The Gift", is a subtle look not only at the marital relationship, but the lasting impact that secrets and lying can have on a marriage. The husband part of this marriage is Simon, played expertly by Jason Bateman. Robyn, his wife is played by Rebecca Hall. When a past acquaintance of Simon's shows up unexpectedly in their lives, the ensuing creepy slow burn panic is just beginning. Harboring a long held grudge, the acquaintance, otherwise known as Gordo aka Weirdo, begins to insert himself into Simon's and Robyn's life. Little by little a sense of unease is unearthed, until cataclysmic events take place that make Simon question his methodology in living his life up to this point. While an unsettling story on many levels, I found the character of Robyn to be written to an extreme of naiveté. In her damaged state after being unable to conceive, I suppose she might let someone like Gordo, who claims to be an old fried of Simon's into her home without an invite, but for me, I thought it was stretch. With that flaw in mind, the pace moves along, with Simon becoming more and more agitated with the presence of Gordo in his life, and the unexpected and unwanted gifts that keep coming. The final gift is complete and utter retribution for Gordo to seemingly get even with Simon for a teenage slight and ever-expanding lie; and is an effective cinematic method that somehow convinces the movie-goer that sometimes, indeed, the nerd wins in the end.