Fueled by repetitive remakes, Hollywood now gives us The Gift. No, it's not that movie wherein Katie Holmes bares it all. This one is a blatant remake of Caché, Michael Haneke's 2005 film about a man's vengeful past.
Made ten years after Haneke's film, The Gift borrows quite a lot of plot elements from Caché: the videotapes are now a series of gifts, the Paris neighborhood turns into a Los Angeles suburb, Daniel Auteuil is now Jason Bateman (they kinda look alike though), Maurice Bénichou is now Joel Edgerton, and Juliette Binoche is now Rebecca Hall.
Seemingly a fan of Michael Haneke's films, Mr. Edgerton also borrows elements from Haneke's other films; the missing family dog from Funny Games, and the dead fish from The Seventh Continent.
There's nothing wrong about remaking a non-American movie; I actually think it shows Hollywood's appreciation of art films, therefore proving us that they're not just all about the money. (The Gift is an Australian-American production, but a Hollywood movie nonetheless.)
But is this endless saga of Hollywood remakes a good thing? I don't think so. Once the benchmark of originality, Hollywood is now on a downward spiral of nothingness. It's painful to see this industry running out of fresh ideas.
Trailer for The Gift:
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