The Box

Name: The Box
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Released: November 6, 2009
Duration: 115 min
Rating: 47
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Frank Langella, James Marsden

2009

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 276 Ratings

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2.5

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2.5	User Score Generally unfavorable reviews based on 276 Ratings

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The Box

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Movie Details & Credits

Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: November 6, 2009 | PG-13

Starring: Cameron Diaz, Frank Langella, James Marsden

Summary: What if someone gave you a box containing a button that, if pushed, would bring you a million dollars...but simultaneously take the life of someone you don't know? Would you do it? And what would be the consequences? The year is 1976. Norma Lewis is a teacher at a private high school and her husband, Arthur, is an engineer working at NASA.What if someone gave you a box containing a button that, if pushed, would bring you a million dollars...but simultaneously take the life of someone you don't know? Would you do it? And what would be the consequences? The year is 1976. Norma Lewis is a teacher at a private high school and her husband, Arthur, is an engineer working at NASA. They are, by all accounts, an average couple living a normal life in the suburbs with their young son...until a mysterious man with a horribly disfigured face appears on their doorstep and presents Norma with a life-altering proposition: the box. With only 24 hours to make their choice, Norma and Arthur face an impossible moral dilemma. What they don't realize is that no matter what they decide, terrifying consequences will have already been set in motion. They soon discover that the ramifications of this decision are beyond their control and extend far beyond their own fortune and fate. (Warner Bros.)… Expand

Director: Richard Kelly

Genre(s): Sci-Fi, Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 115 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Empire Mark Dinning

Movie Marmite. Many will be perplexed. Donnie Darko fans should lap it up. Read full review

Wesley Morris

The Box is the work of a visionary flirting with commercialism after having so grandly flouted it with “Southland Tales.’’ He doesn’t give in completely. Several trips to the megaplex might be required for The Box to make complete sense. Read full review

J.R. Jones

For his third feature, Richard Kelly delivers neither a triumph (like his first, Donnie Darko) nor a travesty (like his second, Southland Tales) but a sure-handed genre piece that manages to wrap up before its plot mushrooms completely out of control. Read full review

Stephanie Zacharek

Kelly is devoted to telling his stories visually -- except when he's not. And the second half of The Box, unfortunately, underscores everything Kelly, as a filmmaker, wants to be and just can't. Read full review

Kirk Honeycutt

An artistic fiasco that cuts across genre lines and all logic to become, perhaps, an instant midnight movie. Read full review

Claudia Puig

The characters in The Box are like cardboard cutouts: Some have "foolish victim" labeled on them, and others fall into the category of absurdly creepy villain. Read full review

Elizabeth Weitzman

The Box is its own kind of awful, a disconnected mess that never finds its reason for being. Read full review

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User Reviews

garbawnzo

Jul 22, 2011

This film started as a simple morality vehicle, but ended as a deeply religious and human narrative regarding not only morality, but original sin and pulls symbolism from the Garden of Eden to exhibit the fall of man from a very interesting perspective. The acting was more or lessThis film started as a simple morality vehicle, but ended as a deeply religious and human narrative regarding not only morality, but original sin and pulls symbolism from the Garden of Eden to exhibit the fall of man from a very interesting perspective. The acting was more or less unremarkable but the cinematography and audio are sublime. Do not be discouraged by the negative reviews. The only explanation that I can offer for low marks is that the reviewer wasn't expecting to see an actual film, and instead was expecting a cookie cutter sci-fi/horror summer blockbuster that is neither memorable nor engaging. If that's what you're after, enjoy saw 14. If you're looking for a narrative thriller with a little substance, check this one out.… Expand

2 of 17 users found this helpful215

ToddH

Nov 11, 2009

This is one of the more thoughtful, creative, interesting, albeit bizarre films I have seen in a long time. I'm sorry if there was too much going on for some viewers to follow (i.e. those that went expecting a "movie" instead of a "film"). This is art- from the cinematography to the This is one of the more thoughtful, creative, interesting, albeit bizarre films I have seen in a long time. I'm sorry if there was too much going on for some viewers to follow (i.e. those that went expecting a "movie" instead of a "film"). This is art- from the cinematography to the music to the combination of moral fable, sci-fi, and suburban horror. If I were teaching a film as literature course I would use this as one of the films- and have students draw from Milgram's Shock Experiment & Sartre's No Exit in explicating it. Tons of material for philosophical and sociological discussion/analysis. Loved it!… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

MattT

Nov 10, 2009

As absurd as this movie is, Richard Kelly continues to make a movie that keeps you thinking. As in all of his movies, you never know, and that bothers people. People want closer in a movie. But this movie will not provide that, and that does not bother me. I enjoyed this film, thought about As absurd as this movie is, Richard Kelly continues to make a movie that keeps you thinking. As in all of his movies, you never know, and that bothers people. People want closer in a movie. But this movie will not provide that, and that does not bother me. I enjoyed this film, thought about the premise and idea of the movie, and still found it worth while to see.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

JonnyFendi

Mar 1, 2012

Lewis family finds a box on the porch of their house. It is an ordinary box with a button. Later, mysterious old man comes to tell them how the box works. If they push the button, someone on somewhere will die, and they received one million dollars. They have 24 hours to decide. Norma andLewis family finds a box on the porch of their house. It is an ordinary box with a button. Later, mysterious old man comes to tell them how the box works. If they push the button, someone on somewhere will die, and they received one million dollars. They have 24 hours to decide. Norma and Arthur Lewis starred by Cameron Diaz and James Marsden. The mysterious old man played by Frank Langella, that we recently see him act impressively in FROST/NIXON (2008). The Director is Richard Kelly. The Director of DONNIE DARKO (2001) whose received many good reviews from movie critics. Personally, I did not enjoy DONNIE DARKO that much. The most interesting in thiz movie is our curiosity about what is really happens. Too see this kind of movie, we had to put aside our logic for a while. Because anything we see in thiz movie is very absurd. Thiz story had been told in one of the episode of TWILIGHT ZONE series in 1980s era. The film has setting in 1976. I think the Creative Designer Team already done their job very well. Everything we see is truly 70s. The music was also thrilling, like we had been watching 70s horror movie. In the end, there will always be dilemma in our life: Is there something we already done? Or, something that we did not do? Visit My Blog on JONNY'S MOVEE : http://jonnyfendi.blogspot.com… Expand

0 of 16 users found this helpful016

GeorgeP.

Apr 25, 2010

Fine to begin with, good premise and all, then a deterioration as the movie tackled too much, became involved with more details than it could manage, lost believability, became confusing. It left too much unanswered. A disappointment.

1 of 1 users found this helpful

AdamH

Nov 9, 2009

Though it does stir some interesting ideas, "The Box" just has a preposterous plot, lazy pacing and in general just leaves the viewer saying "WTF" instead of creating a thinking movie worth thinking about. No, instead when you think about the movie "The Box" it just creates more issues, and Though it does stir some interesting ideas, "The Box" just has a preposterous plot, lazy pacing and in general just leaves the viewer saying "WTF" instead of creating a thinking movie worth thinking about. No, instead when you think about the movie "The Box" it just creates more issues, and unresolved questions even murkier, if that's possible.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful

BobS.

Nov 6, 2009

Worst movie ever seen. Made no sense and would not reccomend anyone to see this movie. HORRIBLE.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

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74	#74 Most Discussed Movie of 2009
58	#58 Most Shared Movie of 2009