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The Box

PG-13 Released Nov 6, 2009 1h 53m Horror Sci-Fi Mystery & Thriller List
42% Tomatometer 154 Reviews 24% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
A suburban couple, Norma (Cameron Diaz) and Arthur (James Marsden), face a moral dilemma when they receive a gift that bears irrevocable consequences. With the press of a button, their simple wooden box will bestow $1 million; however, a stranger somewhere else will die, at the same time. The box will be theirs for only 24 hours, and as time ticks away, Norma and Arthur confront the depth of their humanity as they consider their choices.
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The Box

The Box

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Critics Consensus

Imaginative but often preposterous, The Box features some thrills but largely feels too piecemeal.

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Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow Movie Mom Rated: C Feb 18, 2012 Full Review Wesley Morris Boston Globe Rated: 3/4 Nov 24, 2011 Full Review Joshua Rothkopf Time Out Rated: 2/5 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Richard Kelly’s The Box spins a suspenseful yarn that’s enigmatic as it is entertaining. Rated: 3/4 Aug 30, 2023 Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com this lush, intelligent, frustrating film is probably better for keeping the precise nature of its mystery intact; thats what makes The Boxs central metaphor sing Rated: 4/5 Mar 31, 2022 Full Review Jason Adams My New Plaid Pants The Box lacks the conviction of any convictions at all. Jul 2, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Wendt A Starts off as a sciency version of the Bottle Imp (be careful what you wish for) with a fairly simple premise, but then there are zombies or something, then there is another dimension, then there are three doors you have to chose, then there's flooding, and the NSA, and other random trolley problems, lobotomies, also aliens I guess. Zero internal logic. The plot sickens. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 06/15/24 Full Review Leslee W The moral dilemma presented by The Box is a compelling plot catalyst. But the story takes some weird side trails and loses focus. It's a shame. Frank Langella steals the show. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/15/24 Full Review James F This was a great concept film that fell flat at the end because it explained almost nothing. I have no problem with movies that have a vague or unexplained ending but The Box left so many unanswered questions that it made the movie not worth watching. It set-up mystery after mystery then just…… ended. Donnie Darko was a perfect example of not filling in all the blanks but leaving the viewer satisfied with what was revealed. This movie is an example of what not to do. Also, what was the point of it being set in the 70's? Too many things just didn't make any sense. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/22/24 Full Review Jelisije J I appreciate this movie now that I am older and while this movie does provide answers it takes way too long to develop and tries a little to hard to confuse the audience with two different storylines or explanations to the events that are happening in the film..... Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/08/24 Full Review WA S I don't know what this mess of a movie was trying to achieve, but the original short story — I'm assuming that is what this so-called movie is based on — is called Button, Button by Richard Matheson. I would recommend skipping this and reading the story. It's short and to the point, if you'll pardon the cliche. Everything after they received the initial box is just tacked on frivolous nonsense to pad the run time. The story had nothing to do with some government conspiracy or whatever this was. I wish Hollywood would stop making trash out of great stories and books. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 12/31/23 Full Review Brian T I really wanted to like this movie :( It's not great. BUT - it is different. A lot of original ideas. Unfortunately the scope keeps expanding and it grows increasingly confused and bizarre by the end. Again, at least interesting though. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 12/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis A suburban couple, Norma (Cameron Diaz) and Arthur (James Marsden), face a moral dilemma when they receive a gift that bears irrevocable consequences. With the press of a button, their simple wooden box will bestow $1 million; however, a stranger somewhere else will die, at the same time. The box will be theirs for only 24 hours, and as time ticks away, Norma and Arthur confront the depth of their humanity as they consider their choices.
Director
Richard Kelly
Producer
Sean McKittrick, Richard Kelly, Dan Lin
Screenwriter
Richard Kelly
Distributor
Warner Bros.
Production Co
Darko Entertainment
Rating
PG-13 (Some Violence|Disturbing Images|Thematic Elements)
Genre
Horror, Sci-Fi, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 6, 2009, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 1, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA)
$15.0M
Runtime
1h 53m
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