Ultimate Gift, The (8/21/2007)

Rated PG for thematic elements, some violence and language.

Directed by Michael O. Sajbel (One Night with the King)

Staring Drew Fuller, James Garner, Brian Dennehy, Abigail Breslin and Ali Hillis

A great film to watch with the whole family.

Based on the best-selling book by Jim Stovall, The Ultimate Gift is the compelling story of one man’s journey to discover the things that are so much more valuable than money.

The film is brought to us by Michael O. Sajbel. Yes, Michael isn’t James Cameron, but he’s getting his feet wet in Hollywood and is starting to bring us some decent (not “Wow!”… just decent) clean family entertainment.

The movie basically opens at Howard “Red” Stevens’ (James Garner) funeral. Grandson, trust fund brat, and all around jerk, Jason (Drew Fuller) arrives late and loud, disrupting the service as his muscle car rumbles through the cemetery.

At the reading of the will, Jason and the rest of his greedy and dysfunctional family eagerly wait to hear what Red has left them (like a scene out of John Grisham’s book The Testament). After each family member is informed of their inheritance, they are asked to leave. They do just that, disgusted, believing they deserved more. Finally Jason is called into the empty room and given a DVD with a message from his late grandfather.

Jason seems skeptical that “Grandpa Red” would have left him anything… but he is curious. After all, Grandpa had a butt-load of money. But instead of money, Jason’s inheritance is a well-devised plan for him to experience a crash course on life. Twelve “gifts,” each forcing Jason out of the “spoiled brat” life he knew so well and into the life that will change him and those around him forever.

The Ultimate Gift is a powerful message about learning that, as one tag line said, “some things are worth more than money.”

Todd’s Word: Even in this family drama, there are plenty of lighthearted moments that made me laugh- like Gus (Brian Dennehy) waking Jason up with a cattle prod, or Jason and a homeless man arguing over a park bench.

Jonathan’s Word: It was funny. I watched it with my whole family and it had us laughing throughout. I think that a lot of the humor in the film was brought by the character of the little girl Emily, played by Abigail Breslin (Best Supporting Actress nominee for Little Miss Sunshine this year). She was wonderful as usual, always bringing a smile. (I will forever remember her as the little girl in Signs, “There's a monster outside my room, can I have a glass of water?”) Some of her lines in this film were classic.

Todd’s Word: There were times through out this movie that they had me… I was there, involved, caring about the characters. There were other times when I felt like saying “come on!” For example, there is a scene when Jason goes to visit Emily in the hospital and the nurse is making the empty bed. He asks where she is, the nurse replies she’s with God… quick cutaway to the hospital chapel when you see Emily alone praying… ok, let me say it now… COME ON!!

Jonathan’s Word: I agree. (Wow… we agree!) Even though I really enjoyed the film, it had a few “after school special” moments–“cheese factor”. During the first 10 minutes of the film some of the performances were way below par. I remember thinking, “Oh great, another Christian ‘B’ Movie.” (I’m not knocking Christians, but we have a history of providing some really low budget, cheesy stuff (i.e. Left Behind, Extreme Days…). But at about 10 minutes into the film the performances changed for the better. This kind of inconsistency usually isn’t a sign of a bad actor… it’s usually the directing. And the rest of the film proved that to be the case. At times the story flowed, the performances were strong and the pacing worked. But there were several awkward moments, like the one Todd just described, that a seasoned director wouldn’t have let lie.

I remember seeing an interview with The Matrix directors, the Wachowski brothers. Their incredible attention to detail didn’t leave any frame of the film un-scrutinized. There was one scene in The Matrix where Trinity was sailing through the air and they didn’t like the look of her feet. So they spend a good deal of money on CG effects adding a little movement to her feet to make the scene more realistic. I have a feeling that no one was looking at any “feet” in The Ultimate Gift.

But don’t get me wrong… I think most families won’t notice this stuff. I know my kids didn’t. It’s still a good film. It’s just like a Big Mac—it comes with cheese.

Todd’s Word: Yep. But the cinematography was great. The guy behind the camera really knew what he was doing. That helped the audience get past some of the shortfalls. And most importantly, The Ultimate Gift stood on the foundation of a good story. Regardless of how cheesy or predictable it was at times, you can’t dismiss the powerful message of the film.

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Absolutely, nothing objectionable at all. Not sure what the violence or language was… I didn’t see any. Pop some popcorn and enjoy a great family movie night.

Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):

1. What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
2. How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
3. How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?