The Ultimate Gift - A Movie for People of All Ages

I was very fortunate to have seen this movie in a private screening last year. The Ultimate Gift is a movie version of the book by the same name written by Jim Stoval. The book has sold over 3 million copies. The movie had a limited release nationwide a few months ago.

I will start off this review saying that this is one of the most heart warming and feel good movies that I have ever seen. When you have the opportunity to see this, don't miss it. It has been presented to philanthropic groups at private showings since last summer when it was released. I saw this movie again when it was released in theaters and we have bought several copies of the DVD's which are being given as gifts.

This is a story of a year long quest by Jason Stevens (played by Drew Fuller) to inherit a piece of his billionaire uncle's estate. Jason is arrogant, self centered and has not ever worked a day for anyone or anything. His life has consisted of partying and jet setting around the world. He knows (or thinks he knows) that all the best things in life can be bought.

When he hears of his uncle's death he shows up at the lawyer's office waiting to receive his share of the billion dollar estate. Instead, what he finds, is that in order to receive his inheritance he has to complete 12 monthly assignments or gifts that will eventually get him "The Ultimate Gift." This 12 month journey will change his life forever as he decides which is more important: money or happiness and they are not necessarily dependent on each other. It's a journey of self-discovery.

His uncle, before he died, had recorded a video which would be shown by the lawyer to Jason each month. Each month the next part of the video would direct Jason to his next assignment. As an example, the first gift is The Gift of Work. Jason will need to go to Texas to a sprawling ranch where he will be be required to do back-breaking manual labor for several weeks. He must do it to the rancher's satisfaction or the task is not considered completed.

Watching Jason's transformation during this movie is fantastic. But the person who REALLY takes this movie to Oscar level is Abigail Breslin, the young girl from Little Miss Sunshine. I read that this sweetheart beat out Dakota Fanning for the part. Other seasoned actors which help carry this film to soaring heights are people like James Garner, Brian Dennehy, and Lee Merriwether.

The movie and book are somewhat different, but knowing that the two are not exactly the same doesn't detract from enjoying either film or book.

During this movie you will likely laugh and cry (guys included). When I walked out of the theater with my wife and 13 year old son, there wasn't anyone not wiping their eyes. In the movie, Jason's life was changed forever. Your life as well maybe changed forever after seeing this.