The Ultimate Gift (2007)

Awesome Movie

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

There are very few movies that can really move you to tears. This is once such wonderful movie. I never have heard of this movie till recently. It is very moving, teaching the values of life, other than money. One of the gems I watched over all these years. Please see this superb movie with family, especially with your kids.

With the October Horror Challenge on IMDb's Horror board having recently ended,I mentioned to a friend about how impressed I was with Abigail Breslin performance in Haunter,and that I've recently enjoyed watching her in Little Miss Sunshine again recently.Happily catching me by surprise,they revealed that they had recently picked up a lesser-known Breslin movie,which led to me unwrapping the gift.The plot:Attending the reading of billionaire Howard 'Red' Stevens,the family leave one by one in a huff,as they discover that "Red" has not left anything for their life of luxury. Preparing to leave, Jason Stevens is told to stay,due to his dad having made a special video for him.Hearing in the vid that he is to get a number of gifts,Jason gets set for a bundle of cash.Surprising his son,Red tells Jason that since he has lived his whole life with silver spoon in his mouth,that he is going to take it away,so that Jason can find out what the true gifts in life are.View on the film:For one of just two (the other being The Perfect Game)flicks co- funded by convicted Ponzi schemer Allen Stanford,the screenplay by Cheryl McKay has in this adaptation of Jim Stovall's book has (what now appears to be satirical) the message that the gifts in life are more valuable than the gifts from money. Whilst retaining some of the TV Movie staples (hello sick child!) McKay gives it a freshness by presenting each gift Jason takes on in an episodic manner,which allows the boiled Melodrama to be mixed in with sweet comedy that keeps the flow smooth,as Jason gets caught up in guerrilla warfare!Taking the gold from Jason's hand,director Michael O. Sajbel & cinematographer Brian Baugh give the title a golden shine which glows in a bright amber with each self-discovered "gift" of Jason. Putting Jason on track, Abigail Breslin gives a charming performance as Emily Rose,whose sure-footed ways are given a sass by Breslin that keeps Jason on track. Unable to stop the high life from being taken away from him, Drew Fuller gives a great performance as Jason,thanks to Fuller clearly enjoying himself in Jason's sulk,which Fuller chips away to reveal something wonderfully sincere,as Jason unwraps the ultimate gift.

Well,there may be a 1000 reviews on this title about this movie.So, I am gonna stop being a cliché' and tell you what this movie exactly did to me. I write a review very rarely and if there is a review for a movie title with my name, its either one of the best or the worst.In this case its the 1st one.I would describe myself as a normal movie goer wanting to forget my work & home troubles and I definitely do not want to return home confused and sad(thats why I am not a fan of European movies).This movie delivered me exactly what I wanted.Here's what this movie did to me: 1.Pulled me in.2.Kept me guessing.3.Made me laugh.4.Made me sad.5.Showed me where stand my life.6.Calmed me down.7.left me happy. The $30 spent on a BR disc was completely worth it.I would definitely watch this movie many more times. more times.

....avoid this movie !The reason I watched this movie was because of it's score on IMDb, which is very misleading. It is poorly acted on the whole (apart from Abigail Breslin, she is quite clearly going to be a star), has many plot holes and a very weak script. It wasn't until the end of this film that I worked out why - this film is a pseudo-Christian production trying to push a religious message in the guise of a heartwarming story. And not just that, it was produced by the Stanford Financial Group, that's right, the company that was described by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as a "massive Ponzi scheme". If you have an ounce of intelligence, avoid this film like the plague !