By Melissa Antoinette Garza
I love Jason Bateman. I think he’s an amazing yet very underrated actor. In his younger years, Bateman found great success with Silver Spoons and Valerie/The Hogan Family. For awhile thereafter, he had bit parts in a number of series but thankfully, his career was revitalized with the cult TV hit Arrested Development and fun comedic films like Horrible Bosses (2011) and The Ex (2006).
Typically, Bateman portrays characters that are likable even if they are a bit cocky. His arrogance and demeanor work well with the roles he chooses. In The Gift, the level of pomposity we expect from Bateman is definitely apparent but it is played in such a different manner. Here he is sinister, selfish, self-aggrandizing and his narcissism overtakes any good quality he has within him. In all honesty, he’s downright evil.
The movie opens when Simon (Jason Bateman) shopping with his wife Robyn (Rebecca Hall), run into Gordo (Joel Edgerton). Gordo and Simon had gone to high-school together and as Simon was in a rush, the two exchanged phone numbers to reconnect.
Gordo drops off wine as a surprise gift which results in the trio having dinner together. Simon wants to get rid of him as he feels that Gordo is odd and has feelings for his wife. He discloses his concern to Robyn and confesses that in school kids had called him “Gordo the Weirdo.” Without thinking he writes the insult on a washboard on the fridge.
The next day Gordo unexpectedly arrives and helps Robyn set her TV up. As he’s taking out the trash he notices the washboard but doesn’t say anything.
When Simon and Robyn have a dinner party with their friends the subject of Gordo comes up. Simon decides to tell Gordo to stop contacting him, but Robyn disagrees. She is an introvert and socially-awkward and feels sort of a friendly kinship with him.
Soon, it becomes apparent that Simon is hiding something from her. After he tells Gordo to leave them alone, a note is left saying that bygones will no longer be bygones.
As Robyn gets closer to the truth, Simon begins to become more aggressive with her. Though he saves physical violence for Gordo, he emotionally tortures Robyn throwing inadequacies in her face while trying to cover up his lies.
In the end, a twist that is quite obvious is revealed but a lot of questions are left unanswered.
Still, the film is without question worth the watch. Jason Bateman’s acting blew me away. Simon is such a bastard and Hall perfects Robyn as someone desperate to find out the truth but scared of what might happen if she does.
Joel Edgerton was also amazing. At times, he reminded me of Anthony Perkins in the iconic role of Norman Bates ala Psycho (1960). I can’t think of a better compliment than that. The audience is moved to side with Gordo despite his odd behavior. Anyone who was bullied in school or was terrorized by rumors, will sympathize with him. That said, when he starts to go off the rails, sympathy quickly turns into apprehension and then horror.
I was also very excited to see Katie Aselton as Simon’s sister Joan. Though it was a small part, she is an amazing actress. As a fan of both her work in The League and Black Rock (2012), I always look forward to her performances.
After all, it is the performances, directing and acting that makes this stand out and differentiates it from other movies with similar plots and tone. The writing wants the viewers to be left with a philosophical question as to who is the true villain. It’s effective but not as unique as intended. It’s an intelligent film but it is most certainly the cast that makes it rise above others in the same sub-genre.
We are greeted with a whole new perspective on Jason Bateman. Everyone who is familiar with his previous roles knows he is comedic gold and can still work his dimples with the best of them. Here, however, there’s a real level of depth and darkness he brings out. It shows that when given the material to work with, he’s not just a pretty face with good timing. I enjoyed hating Simon so much because of Bateman. The arrogant mannerisms, tone of voice, superiority complex and unearned confidence that Simon has is like nails on a chalkboard, but it’s brilliant. I hope Bateman pursues productions where he can shine as menacing, deceptive and downright scary. I would have never envisioned him in a role like that prior, but now it seems as though it was the one he was born to play.
It’s available for both rent and purchase via Amazon Streaming and I highly recommend it. I was looking forward to seeing it as soon as it came out to theaters but unfortunately buying a house got in the way and I ended up having to watch it via rental.
Scared Stiff Rating: 7.5/10
