# The Gift (2015 American film)
**The Gift** is a 2015 American psychological thriller written, co-produced, and directed by [Joel Edgerton](https://www.edgepedia.org/joel-edgerton) in his feature directorial debut, starring [Jason Bateman](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-bateman), Rebecca Hall, and Edgerton. It follows a married couple, Simon and Robyn, whose new life in California is disrupted when Gordo, an acquaintance from Simon's high school years, begins leaving them unsolicited gifts, and a secret about Simon's past behavior surfaces.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_gift_2015) • [2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Gift-The-%282015%29)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Directorial debut | Written, co-produced, and directed by Joel Edgerton, who also plays Gordo[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_gift_2015) • [2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Gift-The-%282015%29) |
| Release | Wide theatrical release August 7, 2015 by STX Entertainment; 108 minutes; rated R for language[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Gift-The-%282015%29) |
| Budget and gross | $5,000,000 production budget; worldwide box office was 11.8 times the production budget; opening weekend $11,854,273[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Gift-The-%282015%29) |
| Domestic gross | $43.8M in the United States[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_gift_2015) |
| Critical reception | 92% Tomatometer from 200 reviews and 75% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes; Metascore 77 on Metacritic[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_gift_2015) • [3](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-gift-2015/critic-reviews/) |
| Principal cast | Jason Bateman as Simon, Rebecca Hall as Robyn, Joel Edgerton as Gordo, with Allison Tolman and Busy Philipps[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_gift_2015) |
| Home video | Released on October 13, 2015 by Universal Home Entertainment[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Gift-The-%282015%29) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Simon and Robyn are a young married couple who move from Chicago to [Southern California](https://www.edgepedia.org/southern-california), near Simon's hometown.[4](https://www.csus.edu/indiv/c/craftg/histhrs%20169/films%20e-l.pdf) • [5](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/hulu/im-still-shocked-by-jason-bateman-in-this-psychological-thriller-and-you-can-stream-it-on-hulu-now) They encounter Gordo, a man Simon knew in high school, who at first seems friendly but begins showing up at their house uninvited, leaving presents on their doorstep, and filling their pond with goldfish.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_gift_2015) • [4](https://www.csus.edu/indiv/c/craftg/histhrs%20169/films%20e-l.pdf)
As Gordo's behavior escalates, Robyn investigates his past and learns the truth from Simon's former schoolmate Greg: Simon had been a bully who frequently targeted Gordo, and he fabricated a story that Gordo had been found in a car being molested by an older student, a rumor that made everyone at school think Gordo was gay.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4178092/plotsummary/) The revelation strains the marriage, as Robyn questions how well she knows her husband, and Gordo pursues a calculated revenge against Simon's settled life.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_gift_2015) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4178092/plotsummary/) The film's title refers to the final gift Gordo leaves, whose meaning is revealed in the closing scenes.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4178092/plotsummary/)
## Production
Edgerton wrote the original screenplay; according to a 2015 interview, he began writing it in 2010 while filming *The Thing*.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Gift-The-%282015%29) • [7](https://www.omniapartners.com/suppliers-files/A-D/Artopex/Contract_Documents/07-19/Proof_of_Publication.pdf) The film was produced by [Blumhouse Productions](https://www.edgepedia.org/blumhouse-productions), Blue-Tongue Films, and Ahimsa Films, with [Jason Blum](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-blum), Rebecca Yeldham, and Edgerton as producers.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_gift_2015) • [2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Gift-The-%282015%29) Eduard Grau served as cinematographer, Luke Doolan as editor, and Richard Sherman as production designer.[8](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/70398-THE-GIFT) The story is set in California, with Los Angeles as the geographical setting.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Gift-The-%282015%29)
Unlike the supernatural horror films Blumhouse was known for at the time, such as *[Insidious](https://www.edgepedia.org/insidious-film)*, *[Sinister](https://www.edgepedia.org/sinister-film)*, and the *Paranormal Activity* series, *The Gift* plays as a grounded, realistic thriller.[9](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/joel-edgerton-talk-of-the-town-with-train-dreams-so-check-out-this-2015-horror-movie-the-gift) Critics noted that its violence is emotional and psychological rather than bloody and physical.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_gift_2015)
## Reception
The film opened wide on August 7, 2015 in 2,503 theaters, earning $11,854,273 on opening weekend, 27.1% of its total gross, with a domestic share of 74.2% of worldwide receipts.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Gift-The-%282015%29) Against its $5 million budget, the worldwide box office reached 11.8 times the production budget.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Gift-The-%282015%29)
Critics responded strongly. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 92% Tomatometer from 200 reviews, with the critics consensus calling it "wickedly smart and playfully subversive"; the audience Popcornmeter stands at 75%.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_gift_2015) Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 77, with 29 positive reviews, 2 mixed, and none negative among 31 counted.[3](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-gift-2015/critic-reviews/) Reviewers singled out the moral ambiguity of the story, in which Gordo is neither straightforward villain nor victim, and Bateman's performance against his usual comic persona.[5](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/hulu/im-still-shocked-by-jason-bateman-in-this-psychological-thriller-and-you-can-stream-it-on-hulu-now) The New York Times review read the film as a critique of amoral corporate culture, while the [Chicago Sun-Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-sun-times) praised it as "a tense, nerve-wracking thriller of the mind".[3](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-gift-2015/critic-reviews/)
## Legacy
*The Gift* established Edgerton as a director; his second feature, the 2018 film about gay [conversion therapy](https://www.edgepedia.org/conversion-therapy) later titled *[Boy Erased](https://www.edgepedia.org/boy-erased)*, was described by the Irish Film Institute as a change of pace following "his thriller debut".[10](https://www.ifi.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IFI_Feb-2019_Programme_FlipLeaf.pdf) The film has retained a reputation as a slow-burn thriller with a shocking ending, and it remains in circulation on streaming services.[9](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/joel-edgerton-talk-of-the-town-with-train-dreams-so-check-out-this-2015-horror-movie-the-gift) • [11](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-gift-2015-0)
## References
1. [The Gift (2015), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_gift_2015)
2. [The Gift (2015), Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Gift-The-%282015%29)
3. [The Gift critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-gift-2015/critic-reviews/)
4. [GSC Films E-M course notes, CSUS](https://www.csus.edu/indiv/c/craftg/histhrs%20169/films%20e-l.pdf)
5. [I'm still shocked by Jason Bateman in this psychological thriller, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/hulu/im-still-shocked-by-jason-bateman-in-this-psychological-thriller-and-you-can-stream-it-on-hulu-now)
6. [The Gift (2015), Plot summary, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4178092/plotsummary/)
7. [Interview with Joel Edgerton, press clipping collection, Omnia Partners](https://www.omniapartners.com/suppliers-files/A-D/Artopex/Contract_Documents/07-19/Proof_of_Publication.pdf)
8. [The Gift (2015), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/70398-THE-GIFT)
9. [Joel Edgerton and The Gift retrospective, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/joel-edgerton-talk-of-the-town-with-train-dreams-so-check-out-this-2015-horror-movie-the-gift)
10. [IFI February 2019 programme notes](https://www.ifi.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IFI_Feb-2019_Programme_FlipLeaf.pdf)
11. [The Gift streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-gift-2015-0)
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