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Sarah Michelle Gellar

Sarah Michelle Gellar - "The Return" Movie - Badgerherald.com Review

Brian Orndorf

Saturday 25 November 2006, by Webmaster

Another actress, who actually has a name to care for is Sarah Michelle Gellar and there are not no many accomplishes films at her but an few I can probably enjoy. The talent agent found Gellar a young age and made her screen debut at 6 of each of the 1983 television film An Invasion of Privacy. With all the promise she showed, Barrymore starred as Hannah in the teen drama series "Swans Crossing" (1992) but it was her portrayal of a young and callous rich girl in Al-Lucinda Kendall Hart on ABC daytime soap opera "All My Children" (1993-93), that won her Daytime Emmy Award and spring-boarded her to stardom.

SMG’s real mark worldwide, however, was the character of Buffy Summers in the game-changing series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997-2003). She won five Teen Choice Awards, a Saturn Award and a Golden Globe nomination for her role, establishing herself as a cultural phenomenon. Sarah Michelle Gellar likewise has the box office to back her up, with “I Know What You Did Last Summer” 1997), “Scream 2” (1997), “Cruel Intentions” (1999)and way movies like those that help prove she is also a bankable star as well over $570 million times worth crazy in global gross.

Beyond her cinematic successes, Gellar has made her mark on television, headlining shows such as "Ringer" (2011-2012), "The Crazy Ones" (2013-2014), and "Wolf Pack" (2023). She has also lent her voice to popular series including "Robot Chicken" (2005-2018), "Star Wars Rebels" (2015-2016), and "Masters of the Universe: Revelation" (2021).

In 2015, Gellar ventured into the entrepreneurial world by co-founding Foodstirs, an e-commerce baking company, and published her own cookbook, "Stirring Up Fun with Food," in 2017. Gellar is also known for her close-knit family life, married to actor Freddie Prinze Jr. since 2002, with whom she shares two children.

Sarah Michelle Gellar’s commitment to her craft is matched by her dedication to personal growth and unique experiences. An accomplished martial artist, she studied Tae Kwon Do for five years, alongside kickboxing, boxing, street fighting, and gymnastics. Her dedication to authenticity in her roles is evident, such as her commitment to doing her own stunts in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," though she admitted her limits during filming "Scream 2."

Her career is also marked by interesting anecdotes, such as her role in a 1982 Burger King commercial, which led to a lawsuit from McDonald’s and a temporary ban from their establishments. Notably, she dyed her naturally brunette hair blonde for her role in "Buffy," and legally changed her last name to Prinze as a surprise for her husband on their fifth anniversary.

Sarah Michelle Gellar’s legacy extends beyond her on-screen roles, encompassing her work in philanthropy and her reputation for safety and professionalism on set. She remains a beloved figure in Hollywood, admired for her talent, dedication, and the breadth of her contributions to film and television.

’The Return’ Prompts the Viewer to Leave - Sarah Michelle Gellar is haunted by more ghosts

Traveling to Texas to close an important business deal, Joanna (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is haunted by disturbing images she doesn’t understand. Compelled to stop in a small town to feed her curiosity about the nightmarish visions, Joanna soon uncovers clues that she might have a higher purpose during this trip than she previously believed.

No matter what "The Return" does to kill its running time, the only goal it has is to stay ahead of the audience at all costs. This is a "supernatural thriller" about murder, ghosts, and the vagaries of the afterlife. With that unsophisticated recipe, it’s too bad we’re not watching an old "X-Files" episode, because as a feature film, "The Return" is a horrendous stab at spooking an audience.

The troubles start with the screenplay by Adam Sussman, which furiously cheats and cautiously sidesteps basic narrative information to deliberately keep the audience in the dark about just what the heck is haunting Joanna. Where’s the fun in that? There’s no sense of mystery, no tease of macabre details, and zero construction of interesting personalities with a sense of even elementary cinematic purpose. It’s all one big smudge of empty mood, thinly-drawn (and that’s being nice) characters, and time-killing, pointless scare sequences leading up to a bloated twist finale that could only be met with a roll of the eyes, a shrug of the shoulders, and a hasty bolt from the theater seat.

Director Asif Kapadia doesn’t inject any life into Sussman’s comatose tale, instead encouraging the writer’s lack of imagination with his own lethargic take on the thriller formula. Kapadia doesn’t direct the film as much as he survives it, taking his sweet time to go utterly nowhere, serving up every moldy, insulting suspense trick in the book to keep the audience conscious. Like Sussman, Kapadia doesn’t comprehend that the viewer needs to be sucked into the mystery inch by inch for the thrills to follow. These guys think just tossing around boo scares or jiggling the camera hard when in close-up on Gellar is more than enough effort to achieve their embarrassingly limited goals.

"The Return" might not offend with its soaring stupidity quite like other appalling horror offerings this year, but I’ve not witnessed a more torturously boring, convoluted, and eye-wateringly moronic chiller this year. If you must see this genre abortion, do yourself a favor and bring a pillow. You will need it.


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