| The Ultimate Gift | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Michael O. Sajbel |
| Screenplay by | Cheryl McKay |
| Based on | The Ultimate Gift byJim Stovall |
| Produced by | Rick Eldridge Jim Van Eerden |
| Starring | Drew Fuller Bill Cobbs Lee Meriwether Ali Hillis Abigail Breslin Brian Dennehy James Garner |
| Cinematography | Brian Baugh |
| Music by | Mark McKenzie |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox PorchLight Entertainment |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 117 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $9 million[citation needed] |
| Box office | $3.4 million[1] |
The Ultimate Gift is a 2006 Americandrama film directed by Michael O. Sajbel from a screenplay written byCheryl McKay, which is based on the best selling novel byJim Stovall. The author cameos in the film. It starsDrew Fuller,Bill Cobbs,Lee Meriwether,Ali Hillis,Abigail Breslin,Brian Dennehy, andJames Garner (in his final live action film). It was released on March 9, 2007, in the United States and Canada.[1][2]
Two sequels to the film,The Ultimate Life andThe Ultimate Legacy, were released in 2013 and 2017 respectively.[3][4]
When his rich grandfather, Howard "Red" Stevens dies, Jason does not expect to inherit anything from his multi-billion-dollar estate. He strongly resents his grandfather because his father had died while working for him. Unexpectedly, Red leaves Jason an inheritance with a condition: Jason must complete 12 separate assignments within a year in order to get it. Each assignment is centered around a "gift". Gifts of work, money, friends and learning are among the dozen that Jason must perform before he is eligible for the mysterious "Ultimate Gift" in his grandfather's will. Red's attorney and friend, Mr. Hamilton, and his secretary, Miss Hastings, attempt to guide Jason along.
For the first task, Jason has to work on his grandfather's friend Gus Caldwell's ranch in Texas for a month to learn what hard work is. Upon returning, Jason learns everything he values – his apartment, car, money – has been taken away, leaving him homeless. His girlfriend Caitlin leaves him when he asks her to pay for the bill after his credit card is rejected. None of his friends shelter him, and his mother declines to help him as part of the agreement. Jason miserably wanders the city alone. While sleeping in a park, he encounters a woman, Alexia, and her outspoken daughter, Emily. Jason befriends the two, and then asks them to go to the attorney's office and confirm themselves as his "true friends" in order to pass his assignment, but later discovers that Emily is suffering from leukemia. From that point, he tries his best to help Emily have a great life while it lasts, and Emily encourages a romance between Jason and her mother.
To fulfill another task, Jason travels to Ecuador and studies in a library his father and grandfather built for the locals. This brings him to address his resentment over the death of his father there, and he makes a trip into the mountains with a local guide to see where it happened. Jason learns from his guide that the story he had always believed about his father's death was a lie, fabricated by his grandfather out of guilt and shame for trying to push Jason's father into the oil business. Jason and the guide are captured there and taken hostage bymilitants for several weeks, until Jason manages to ensure their escape. He returns to America and discovers that Emily's condition has deteriorated, so he arranges for Gus to host a belated Christmas celebration at his home for them.
Upon completing his twelve tasks, Jason is given a sum of $100,000,000 to do with whatever he pleases, and all of his property is returned to him. Caitlin makes an attempt to reconcile, but Jason declines her offer. With his inheritance, Jason chooses to build a hospital called Emily's Home for children with terminal illnesses. Before the building begins, Emily dies.
After the groundbreaking for Emily's Home, Jason is called to the law firm for one more meeting. He is given the final gift of over $2,000,000,000, as his reward for using the $100,000,000 to help others. That night, Jason is seen sitting on a bench in the park, where he is joined by Alexia. He thanks her for the help that she and her daughter gave him. Then they kiss, as a butterfly flies around them.
In addition, thenMayor of Charlotte, North Carolina,Pat McCrory has a cameo appearance as himself, whileJim Stovall, the author of the book the film is based on, has a cameo as the limo driver near the end of the film.
The film was financed with $14 million from theStanford Financial Group,[5][6] aHouston based firm theU.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shut down two years later for being a "massivePonzi scheme".[6]
Onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes,The Ultimate Gift holds an approval rating of 32% based on 59 reviews, with an average rating of 5.20/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "ThoughThe Ultimate Gift avoids religious speechifying like other Fox Faith films, it's dramatically inert with flat direction."[7] OnMetacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 49 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[8]
The New York Times' reviewer said, "Reeking of self-righteousness and moral reprimand, [the movie] is a hairball of good-for-you filmmaking..... [T]he movie's messages are methodically hammered home."[9]Christianity Today felt the film warranted 3.5 out of 4 stars and called it "lovingly crafted ... but never manages to build up much mystery, suspense, tension, or narrative steam."[10] Joe Leydon ofVariety magazine was favorably impressed and noted that "discussions of faith and God are fleeting, almost subliminal — without stinting on the celebration of wholesomefamily values."[11] William Arnold of theSeattle Post-Intelligencer wrote: "Its sincerity, optimism and air of open-minded tolerance go down well, and it makes a nice change-of-pace." He lauded its "tight and often compelling" screenplay, sparkling dialogue and "first-rate" production values.[12]
The Ultimate Gift opened with receipts of $1.2 million on its first weekend, with final box office of $3.4 million.[1]
DVD sales were $9.55 million in the first two months following its release.[1]
Mark McKenzie wrote the film's incidental music. At the film's climax, "Something Changed" is highlighted, a song composed byContemporary Christian Music-singerSara Groves.[13] Other songs include "Gotta Serve Somebody" byBob Dylan, "The Thrill is Gone" byB.B. King, and "Crazy" byPatsy Cline.[14]
