Nicholas' Gift is a 1998 drama television film directed by Robert Markowitz and written by Christine Berardo. A co-production between Italy and the United States, it stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Alan Bates as an American couple who, after their son was mortally wounded during a family vacation in Italy, decide to donate the child's organs. The film received positive reviews and earned Curtis a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her performance. Plot Fact based drama about an American couple on vacation in Italy in 1994 with their two children who are attacked and shot by highway bandits. Shortly they discover that their son (named and based on Nicholas Green) is brain dead. The parents are then faced with the hard decision to donate the boy's organs which ultimately led to saving the lives of seven seriously ill Italian patients. Cast Jamie Lee Curtis as Maggie Green Alan Bates as Reg Green Gene Wexler as Nicholas Green Hallie Eisenberg as Eleanor Green Isabella Ferrari as Alessandra Grascia Anita Zagaria as Anna Bianchi Roberto Bisacco as Dr. Cipriano Ennio Coltorti as Dr. Santucci Nazzareno Costantini as Angelo Bianchi Manrico Gammarota as Paolo Bianchi Daniele Pio as Stefano Bianchi Carlo Cartier as Inspector Tramontana Jeremy Zimmermann as Richard Brown Reception Critical response Tom Jicha of the Sun-Sentinel was very positive about the film, describing it as "a wonderfully poignant movie that conveys an important message worthy of the widest possible circulation." In his review for The New York Times, Rick Lyman wrote that "a veteran cast pushing a commendable message is not quite enough to elevate Nicholas' Gift above being a by-the-numbers tear-jerker." The Deseret News praised the film for "superb performances by Jamie Lee Curtis and Alan Bates, tight steering by an award-winning director, an Italian crew schooled in feature film making, an intelligent script based on a riveting real-life story, and an almost religious commitment from everyone involved in the project to make a film worthy of its subjects." Awards and nominations References External links 1998 films 1998 drama films 1998 television films 1990s American films 1990s Italian films 1990s English-language films American drama television films CBS network films Italian drama films Italian television films Films about child death Films about families Films about vacationing Films directed by Robert Markowitz Films scored by Carlo Siliotto Films set in 1994 Films set in Italy Films shot in Rome American films based