MovieChat Forums > The Ultimate Gift (2007) Discussion > Great Movie; don't listen to these moron...

Great Movie; don't listen to these morons

posted 18 years ago by mfithian
54 replies | jump to latest

This movie is one of the most powerful and moving films I have ever seen. This is a movie that I would recommend to anyone, but especially families. It has a message about a young man who has to find out there is more to life then money, that being apart of a family who loves you is the most important thing in life. Finding the ultimate gift is like finding your place in the world, what are you here for?, what is your purpose? There is an incredible amount of value in this message and it is something people of all ages can learn from. The acting of Abigail Breslin is yet again incredible, I think even better then Little Miss Sunshine, she completely steals the show. This movie has all the aspects of a great film, sure it's no Godfather, but its still and incredible flick.

I can't believe that I actually have to come on here and defend such a great film, I was expecting people to be raving about it considering it has such an incredible message. It's pretty sad what the movie industry has turned into today, if there’s not some obscene amount of blood or gore then it can't be any good. People can no longer accept a feel good movie for what it is, there has to be some sort of BS pop culture nonsense with no merit or value at all. And before you go off and claim that I’m some hokey pokey activist against violence and stuff, my favorite movie of all time is Pulp Fiction.
All those people who are degrading this film because of the distribution company Fox Faith, you should be ashamed. First off it is clear the majority of you have not seen the film, and secondly they did not make this picture they only distributed it. It is also ridiculous that you people seem to think this is some kind of religious propaganda, there are like 3 mentions of religion in this movie, and they are all appropriate. What’s so wrong about a little girl dying of cancer to believe in God? What's so wrong about a mother who appreciates and loves her daughter, and who worked hard to support her through an impossibly painful disease as a single parent. You must be a cold heartless person if you can't see that. I'm not religious or Christian in any way and I did not feel the religious aspects of this movie where a big deal at all. Your missing the big picture here by criticizing least important part of this movie, religion.

[–] forza11 18 years ago

I'm not religious or Christian in any way and I did not feel the religious aspects of this movie where a big deal at all. Your missing the big picture here by criticizing least important part of this movie, religion.

exactly

i almost thought i was the only one after reading the topics on here.

[–] TheEmulator23 17 years ago

A great movie! That is hilarious. I don't care who made this so-called film, it's an embarrassment to actual films! This movie tanked at the Box office because IT'S BAD! It did $3.5 million in it's entire run! I have seen the film, and it was one of the worst pieces of garbage I have ever seen. It's especially insulting to have the little girl dying of cancer in a film that should not be allowed to use the true stories of actual children that have the horrible disease. If they are going to do use that, make a film that deserves it. It's called a script. Fox Faith should stick to making their crappy movies and stick to them going to Direct-to-DVD. Personally they shouldn't make them at all if they can't do them at least half-way decent. By the way your whole "Holier than thou" attitude is pretty arrogant. Religion or not in this movie, makes no difference, it still stinks.

[–] SamJane723 17 years ago

Great film! I was sobbing by the end! It's a very emotional film, with a good message, with some v.good actors. I loved it.

Love + Peace
Sam x

This road will never end...
http://www.myspace.com/iloveriverrip

[–] jane_bront 17 years ago

I loved the film and I would buy it. I'm Catholic and have no shame about enjoying what I viewed as promotion of Christian values, values even some non-believers can appreciate. I really enjoyed the Name of Jesus being mentioned on film without it being used as a curse. Now how rare is that? Very rare. If you can have depraved garbage masquerading as 'entertainment' like Saw 3, The Hills Have Eyes, Clerks 2, and any Rob Zombie film, there's certainly room for a gem like The Ultimate Gift. Move over!

"To err is human; to forgive is divine."

[–] wildedad 17 years ago

These "bad" reviews amaze me as they expose so many "movie experts" as being completely clueless.
A few pointers to all you "experts" on how to evaluate a movie!!!

First you determine what the movie was trying to do...what is it's purpose. Some movies attempt to scare, some movies make you laugh, some movies make you cry, others make you fall in love, and some make you think about the meaning of life.
Once you've determined the purpose of the movie, then you evaluate how well it did, how close it came to what it was trying to do.

This movie, The Ultimate Gift, was trying to take a complex book and condense it down into a 2 hour movie while still delivering a powerful message. I believe it did a very good job of that. I would not call it a great movie, there are no Academy awards in store, but for anyone to call it a "bad" movie clearly has some other agenda!!

If you don't like the message, didn't really want to see this kind of a movie, would have rather spent the time watching the next installment of American Pie.(which by the way is a very good movie because it accomplished exactly what it was trying to do)..so be it...but that does not mean The Ultimate Gift is a bad movie.

[–] bklynkat23 17 years ago

You can't really use box office performance to judge a movie. I have seen some horrible films perform great at the box office. A movie performs well at the box office based on two things: how well it is promoted and what people thought of it. If it isn't promoted well, no one will know about it which leads to bad box office performance. I have seen this happen too many times to movies I liked.

You're just a wet blanket on my fire of fun!!

[–] wkguy 17 years ago

I watched this movie last night after watching Little Miss Sunshine earlier in the day. I highly recommend both movies. Like the previous poster, I am also not especially religion, being agnostic if not down right atheist.

I suppose that some would find this movie to be pushing an agenda, but the agenda that I see is that you should be responsible for yourself, you shouldn't be solely interested in material things and if anything, it could be said that it shows the difference between the right wing neo cons in Washington who "raped" the Christian coalition for they own benefits and led this nation down the wrong path.

But, the movie is not about politics and I don't see that it is about religion, unless you think that being a good person, someone who can be a good human with real feelings has to be a Christian or religious, which I certainly do not believe.

Bring this movie home and enjoy it with your entire family. You may find it to be a bit of a tear jerker...I certainly did. We could use more movies of this caliber out of Hollywood.

As concerns the actors and actresses, I thought they were great. What not to like. I was a little put off with James Garners appearance, but, hey, he's not a young man any more.

This might be an excellent movie to let your teenage son or daughter watch some evening. Wouldn't hurt if they watched it with their parents...and if you decide to watch "Little Miss Sunshine" which is a real hee haa movie, then watch this movie first and follow up with "Little Miss Sunshine" as it will lighten your mood.

Hea Hollywood, give us more decent family movies like this...but don't swamp us with them, please!

[–] showmanjkb 17 years ago

The message is wonderful. The book is one of my favorite books of all time.

The movie is just okay, however.

[–] cathy-232 17 years ago

Great commentary!
I feel the same about "River's End" with Sam Huntington, it is awesome!

[–] anissaanne 17 years ago

I totally agree with you. I'm glad you posted what you did. I guess maybe the messages in the movie are more profound if one has had to go through these types of experiences in life - and/or has an open heart to messages. These messages were amazing to me. I'm so glad I watched this movie. I only wish it had come out 5 years ago - although I may not have understood the meaning then.

[–] trysmiling 17 years ago

I didn't even realize this was a Christian based film until I read this thread. I loved this movie. I thight the first 45 minutes were a little slow but I cried my eyes out the rest of the time and that is just something I never do. I felt happy, sad, warm and compassion all at once. It was great!

[–] MovieMystro 17 years ago

This is an exceptional movie that I too will give as a Christmas gift to many.

[–] sacflyzone 17 years ago

How can anyone with a heart not like this amazing movie? The only way it doesn't move you is out of religious spite or out of pure evil. (Same thing really)

[–] October13 17 years ago

I had heard about and wanted to see this gem of a movie, but for some reason, I didn't get a chance to watch it at the movie theatres we frequent like Harkins or AMC in Arizona. But, since I'm a frequent flyer, I was delighted when United Airlines featured this as one of the movie selections for flights from the US to Asia in Dec 2007.

I liked it so much I saw this movie 2 1/2 times on the plane, and agree whole-heartedly with the posters who loved the movie's positive message.

Like most of you, I, too, enjoyed watching the character development of Jason from the spoiled, rich brat transform into a man--through some hard work and soul searching--who would win the respect of his grandfather's closest friends.

What was a special part for me was after Jason returns from South America and learns the truth about his father's death, Jason finally forgives his grandfather. In the final taped message, when the director shows Grandfather and grandson as if talking to one another, it was almost like Jason and Red were able to suspend time for a moment and recapture that special bond that the story hinted at in the letter that Jason once wrote to his grandfather.

Thanks for reading.

[–] ThomasMagnumPI 17 years ago

Thanks for writing.

Great post!

[–] lovslinky 17 years ago

I loved this movie. It was absolutely wonderful. I don't know why everyone has to judge it harshly because it has a wholesome message. Yes, it is a movie that promotes values, but it is not overly preachy.

Anyways, there is nothing wrong with a movie that makes you think about life and how wonderful it can be. It is one of those movies that leaves you feeling good inside.

[–] ThomasMagnumPI 17 years ago

Anyways, there is nothing wrong with a movie that makes you think about life and how wonderful it can be. It is one of those movies that leaves you feeling good inside.

In fact, it's everything that's right about movies.

[–] DUKEJBM 16 years ago

Like I said, I guess it depends on the viewer's state of mind but I was in a place in my life where this movie truly spoke to me. I loved every minute of it.

[–] ThomasMagnumPI 16 years ago

Still a great film.

[–] tramky 16 years ago

While there were a number of good & very worthwhile messages conveyed in the story of this movie, Jason still, in the end, lacked that certain gravitas that comes from actually earning all that money.

In the end, he endured some minor trials, then was GIVEN $100 million to do with as he pleases, then $2 billion! Wow, it's EASY to be magnanimous, generous and warm toward your fellow man with that kind of money.

I've been a better person since I had more than a few pennies in my pocket--more generous, more creative, more attentive to the world. When you have little money and are in danger of losing what you have, you are gripped in fear of not having ANY money.

That is the reality of the world in which we live. There are a LOT of fearful people in this country over the last couple of years. I have seen college-educated, smart, experienced people losing their jobs, having their pay cut in half, going into default, foreclosure and bankruptcy--losing everything they had in terms of money. The are NOT better people for all that. They were better people BEFORE they lost so much money. They have become simply afraid. And dismaryed. And disappointed. And with diminished hope.

[–] DUKEJBM 15 years ago

Did he really need to earn the money or simply earn a higher place in his own existence? His goal to help others achieve their goals is as admirable as it gets and still a work in progress as the film ends.

[–] ThomasMagnumPI 14 years ago

I still use the lessons of this film to help others in my every day life. Now THAT is staying power!