| Product Summary | | Publisher: Foxvideo | | Format: DVD | | UPC: 00024543444862 | | Buy.com Sku: 204690330 | | Item#: V2JGVL | | Buy.com Sales Rank: 80 | | Category Keywords: Coming Of Age | Rating:  |
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| | | Share the Gift. Change the World.
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1, Sensormatic, English, Spanish, Subtitled
When his wealthy grandfather dies, trust fund baby Jason Stevens inherits his grandfather's crash course on life: 12 tasks - or gifts - designed to challenge Jason in improbable ways. The "course" sends Jason on a journey of self-discovery that forces him to reevaluate his priorities and determine what he thinks the most important things in life really are.
"...Breslin's captivating performance reminds you why she was recently nominated for an Oscar." Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
"...[a] pleasant drama...prized by those with a taste for inspirational uplift and heart-tugging sentiment." Joe Leydon, Variety
"...a well-made little inspirational drama featuring both a familiar older star (James Garner) and a new one (Abigail Breslin)." William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Editor's Note
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 a hedonistic jerk into a compassionate human being is included in the will, but whether that's the gift or there's a fortune at the end of the rainbow is something Jason will just have to wait to find out. First, he's sent to Texas to work on the ranch of one of Red's old pals (Brian Dennehey). Then his trust fund is cut off and he's thrown into the streets where he battles a bum for a park bench and eventually makes friends with a young girl--dying of leukemia--named Emily (Abigail Breslin). There's some romantic bonding with Emily's struggling mom (Ali Hills) and danger down in Costa Rica, where Jason winds up hostage to some drug-running thugs. Bill Cobbs and Lee Meriwether are the lawyers who monitor Jason's progress. This is a nice little movie, with a straightforward spiritual agenda. But it gets everything right, with minimum sermonizing and maximum heart. The cast is clearly into the spirit of the matter: Abigail Breslin (LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE) radiates oddball charm, and the eyes of old pros Garner, Denehey, Meriwether, and Cobbs are alight with compassion and nobility.
| Features | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, Spanish |
| Entertainment Reviews
 | The Ultimate Gift - DVD Review By: Christopher Null - filmcritic.com DVD Reviews Published on: 8/10/2007 9:26 PM | |
As part of the trend in faith-driven filmmaking (and based on an apparently very popular self-help book), The Ultimate Gift is inspirational filmmaking at its most average. The tale involves a recently deceased business tycoon (James Garner), who gives token fortunes to various family members, all of whom have been ingrate layabouts their entire lives. The exception is young grandson Jason (Drew Fuller), who's the worst of all. He gets a series of tasks from lawyer Ted (Bill Cobbs), designed to see if Jason can actually become a useful member of society and thus, worthy of his inheritance....read the full review |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Foxvideo |
| Release Date: 10/14/2008 |
| Running Time: 118 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2007 | | Catalog ID: 2244486 | | UPC: 00024543444862 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Available Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Los Angeles Times 8 of 10
Directed by Michael O. Sajbel, from a screenplay by Cheryl McKay and Sajbel, "The Ultimate Gift" is based on the successful book by Jim Stovall. The story concerns a spoiled-rotten, super-rich playboy who is cut off after the death of his grandfather. His inheritance is contingent on his completing a series of tasks, referred to as "gifts," each teaching him a different life lesson. It's sort of like Adam Sandler's "Billy Madison," except it's a drama...Though she exhibits some of the same lovable pluck as her signature character, in "Gift" she slides helplessly into more conventional Cute Kid territory. "The Ultimate Gift" perhaps is best seen as an example of just how lucky a performer, especially one so young, must be to find a script, a part, director(s) and costars that all align to aid in creating something special. Even when a project has its values in order, as "The Ultimate Gift" surely does, it still takes something more for the end product to transcend into the realms of art. - Mark Olsen
The Village Voice 8 of 10
In the latest release from the faith-based division of 20th Century Fox, an oil-rich billionaire (James Garner) kicks the bucket and leaves a special bequest for his trust-fund-suckling grandson (Drew Fuller)--a gauntlet of hard work and hardship designed to give the boy an appreciation for the true value of a greenback. Among the tasks: living as a homeless person, and showing some genuine compassion for a debt-addled single mom (Ali Hillis) and her leukemia-stricken daughter (Abigail Breslin). If he succeeds, the "ultimate gift" of the movie's title will be his--which, in case you haven't figured it out, is one of those things you can't buy with a MasterCard. Directed with accomplished impersonality by Michael O. Sajbel (One Night With the King), The Ultimate Gift means well, but in the end it's The Pursuit of Happyness made from the ivory tower looking down instead of from the street looking up. - Scott Foundas
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