MovieChat Forums > The Ultimate Gift (2007) Discussion > Why the haters? (spoilers included)

Why the haters? (spoilers included)

posted 14 years ago by carlabrams
4 replies | jump to latest

My sister-in-law and her husband just brought this movie over for us to watch as a family.
What part of this being an excellent movie with an excellent message do people not quite get? Or is it that they're so shallow that they'd rather watch people have limbs hacked off and have fake blood spurt all over, instead of actually having to think about the message in the movie?
Thing is - I know some families like the Stevens, where the kids are shallow and only interested in how much money they'll get from when the patriarch of the family passes away. What it takes for Jason is basically the same way you teach a mule. First you hit the mule with a 2x4 to get his attention, and then you can start teaching him.
Same thing here - only the 2x4 was the series of gifts. Did Jason see them as gifts at the time? Nope. But by the end of the movie, he did. That's why when Mr. Hamilton tells his secretary that it's time for him to retire - from his own law firm - and she asks him what he's going to do, he says that he's going to go work with Jason and change the world.
There's a simple lesson there for all of us. It's okay to have material things, but greediness to the point of excess without sharing isn't being a good steward of the main gift you have - your life.
Obviously Gus had more wealth than he personally needed. That one line - we've been on my property for the last 30 minutes - told you that he had a huge ranch. But what did Gus do? He taught Jason how to work - and later on he trucked in snow so that Emily could have a white Christmas (albeit a little late).
Entertainment for the sake of simple mindless entertainment is fine - to a point. But get a movie with a purpose and a message, whether it be this one, or the movie we recently watched, "Faith Like Potatoes" - and don't hate it just because it has a message. Look at the message - and then wonder if your life is empty because you're missing that message.
(Side note - I personally am not a Christian, so don't say I'm trying to convert you. I can still appreciate the message in a movie.)

[–] misstrouble 14 years ago

i realy realy realy want to see this film :) lol, how come u commented about christianity tho? is that a topic in the film?

[–] iduff 14 years ago

Yeah I wondered that too, but I agree. I am not a christian, in fact I'm an athiest and I adore this film for all the reasons mentioned by the OP. It is such a beatuiful film and I love the story and the values of it. I too don't get why people bash it so much!

T~O #611 "I'M EDWARD *beep* CULLEN...does no one care about my view?"
I~O #9

[–] CaptMal 14 years ago

Personally, the reason I hated this film is because of how shamelessly maudlin, manipulative, and saccharine it was. Everything it could do to tug at your heartstrings, it did, and in ridiculously over-the-top fashion. I'm not sure I've seen another film as guiltlessly sentimental as this one. I want to assure you: I like to be moved by films, and I prize emotional power over most things in movies. But The Ultimate Gift felt coldly calculated to squeeze as many tears as possible out of as many people as possible.

All movies are manipulative, but in the good ones you don't see the strings.

I am a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar.

[–] zannesuz 12 years ago

Yes it had a good message. But many scenes were painfully saccharine to watch, other parts made me cringe, and the plot had holes while the lead character seemed schizophrenic. Not a twicer.