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Parents' Guide to

The Ultimate Gift

By Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Faith-based movie with obvious but positive messages.

Movie PG 2007 114 minutes
The Ultimate Gift Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 9+

Based on 10 parent reviews

0p1n3111A
0p1n3111A Adult
July 19, 2020
age 14+

Poor spoiled rich billionaire has to prove his worth

This is a ridiculous premise that a spoiled rich kid will somehow turn over a new leaf by completing a series of "challenges." It is difficult to feel any sympathy for someone who has had everything handed to them. Like a sympathy grab for the 1%. People who have had every advantage and somehow the spoiled rich kid turns his moral compass around. What kind of manure are they selling with this story? Contrived. Pathetic. Unimaginative and hardly something that deserves even a spotlight. There are millions suffering without hundreds of millions, trust funds or billions that will be handed over to them when they complete a few jumps through some hoops. This would be a fairytale. Nothing more. About as harmful as Disney stories.
Chris_Feher
Chris_Feher Adult
May 19, 2020
age 9+

Sweet and Meaningful Movie

This movie is both sweet and meaningful, yet is could have been much better. The whole thing radiates low-budget film. I mean, the acting is alright and everything, but something about it just doesn't for it for me. For kids, it is mostly appropriate and it offers some great lessons. That's why I would recommend this movie to parents and younger children as a sort of 'lesson learning' movie. That is probably the only way it would really be worth the watch.

This title has:

Great messages
See all 10 parent reviews

What's the Story?

THE ULTIMATE GIFT follows the travails of 24-year-old Jason (Drew Fuller), a selfish trust-fund kid who arrives late for his grandfather Red (James Garner's), funeral, then complains at the reading of his videotaped the will. Obviously, he has lots of lessons to learn. Red dangles a prize before his grandson, saying that if he does as he's told, he'll eventually possess "the ultimate gift." En route, Jason meets a series of helpful folks, including Gus (Brian Dennehy), a rancher who has Jason set a lot of fence posts so that he can experience the rewards of manual labor. Back in the city, Jason learns that he's now out of credit. His spoiled, money-hungry girlfriend replaces him, he argues with a bum (Tom Conder), and he meets adorable 10-year-old mini-Goth girl Emily (Abigail Breslin), who, along with her mother, teach Jason his greatest lessons. Jason ends up taking a detour to seek out his father's legacy (he died doing good work in Ecuador). He encounters a squad of gun-toting Ecuadorian drug dealers who beat and imprison him; but again he learns a lesson, doing the right thing by his nameless guide, who's also abused by the thugs. Jason's "gift," at last, has to do with giving to others.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (10 ):
Kids say (9 ):

Thank goodness for Bill Cobbs. As Hamilton, the wise, infinitely patient lawyer in The Ultimate Gift, he provides welcome respite from the movie's sentimental, predictable action. Nuanced and detailed, his performance is the film's only convincing element. Too bad Hamilton is just a supporting character. The film's insistence on stereotypes is evident in the introduction of violent Ecuadorian drug dealers.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the change in Jason. What is the "ultimate gift" his grandfather teaches him? How do the various secondary characters -- his materialistic mother, the "bum" who steals in the park, the "amigo" in Ecuador -- help Jason learn his lesson? How does Emily provide Jason with a model for good behavior?

  • Is it obvious that this movie has faith-based messages? Why or why not?

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