...there's nothing new about the devices the film uses to tug at our heartstrings, but that doesn't make them any less effective.
Comment
03/08/07
The Ultimate Gift (2007)
32
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:56
Fresh:18
Rotten:38
Average Rating:5.1/10
Consensus: Though The Ultimate Gift avoids religious speechifying like other Fox Faith films, it's dramatically inert with flat direction.
Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: The videotaped will of deceased billionaire Red Stevens (James Garner) includes the "ultimate gift" for his spoiled, sullen grandson Jason (Drew Fuller). A series of tasks meant to turn Jason from... [More]
Starring: Drew Fuller, James Garner, Ali Hillis, Abigail Breslin
Director: Michael O. Sajbel
Reviews for The Ultimate Gift
Abigail Breslin matches her Oscar-nominated work in Little Miss Sunshine with another brilliant performance in The Ultimate Gift.
03/07/07
I never found Ultimate Gift to be very pushy or distant, and while I might not subscribe to Stovall's teachings, I respect their intent, and this movie's efforts to embody them for the silver screen.
03/08/07
Like sensible woolen socks in a ribbon-wrapped package, The Ultimate Gift may be good for you, but it's a little hard to get excited about.
03/09/07
Click to read the article
03/17/07
A parabolic film about one selfish young man's spiritual transformation.
03/30/07
Despite a cop-out finale, there is much to rejoice in a young man's redemption.
02/27/07
If anything, the film's uplifting moral tone seems more in line with a Frank Capra flick than a cinematic sermon.
03/09/07
The film squeaks by on a combination of reliable old pros...and appealing newcomers...
03/19/07
It soft-pedals its religious elements -- discussions of faith and God are fleeting, almost subliminal -- without stinting on the celebration of wholesome family values.
03/08/07
Top CriticTen-year-old best-supporting-actress Oscar nominee Abigail Breslin and 78-year-old James Garner easily steal this show.
03/09/07
Perhaps predictable, sentimental and sappy, but who cares, when it also oh so effectively delivers the salient message that much is expected of those fortunate enough to have been born blessed with so much.
03/08/07
It's worth considering regardless of your religious bent -- or whether you have any religious feeling at all.
03/09/07
The film's values are fairly well encoded into the story, such that it feels less like a sermon and more like a film with a good, if somewhat sappy, heart.
03/08/07
Top Critic[James] Garner is good, and so is Brian Dennehy as a crusty ranch owner; Abigail Breslin, playing a leukemia patient, demonstrates that she was not a one-note wonder in Little Miss Sunshine.
03/15/07
Funny and moving, and several steps above the Hallmark Channel pabulum that Fox Faith has mostly rolled out up until now.
03/08/07
The film communicates its message without belaboring its moral points or throwing in any overt religious dogma. Christ is mentioned only once and I couldn't tell from the story or the credits what the religious affiliation of the producers might be.
03/08/07
the ultimate morality play sometimes diving into melodrama filled with over-acting, while also providing some real emotional moments that filmgoers should be willing to seek out.
03/08/07
Christian charity, in this movie, seems like a side-effect of capitalism.
03/17/07
Director Michael O. Sajbel too often succumbs to movie-of-the-week sentimentality and starchy pacing.
03/08/07
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