DVD
REVIEW:
The
Ultimate Gift
08/19/07
"The Ultimate Gift"
is based on the best selling novel of the same name by Jim
Stovall. The novel have sold more that three
million copies and has been translated into more than fifteen languages. The film which takes place in
Texas, Charlotte
and the jungles of Ecuador was totally shot in Charlotte,
and is the third release under the newly created 20th
Century Fox division labeled Fox Faith.
After the death of his rich
grandfather (James Garner), spoiled grandson Jason (Drew
Fuller) is set to receive a big inheritance. Soon Jason finds
out that before dying his grandfather has left him twelve
tasks that he must accomplish before receiving the money.
Eager for keeping his easy way of live and his grandfathers
money, Jason decides to take the challenge. Along the way in
his journey Jason will meet Alexia (Ali Hillis) and her
daughter Emily (Abigail Breslin), both Alexia and Emily will
help him try to accomplish his twelve tasks before times
runs out.
The film takes most of its
credit for being a true family movie combining drama,
comedy, adventure and a strong message at the end. However
it displays the same problems encountered by many of the
book adaptations to the big screen. Up to what point does a
movie has to follow a book? Even though Cheryl McKay did an
acceptable job in the screenplay, at times he seemed to add
too many details from the book. The entire sequence in the
jungle of Ecuador was disorganized and unreal to the point
of probably becoming part of the deleted scenes. After
watching those scenes I felt distracted and the true meaning
of the movie loses some of the credibility. However,
the following scenes do pick up the pace and redirects the
audience to the original plot. It would be nice to
know up to what point Jim Stovall's input was used by Cheryl
when he wrote the screenplay.
Director Michael O. Sajbel
hit a home run by casting Abigail Breslin. One more time she
show us why she was nominated for an Academy Award. She
brings her unique natural sweetness, innocence and one of a
kind charm to highlight her supporting role.
"The Ultimate Gift" is a
film that was done with a purpose and it sure accomplished
what it set out to do. Jim Stovall wanted to
disseminate a message about tough love to a new generation
by making this film, and he did just that. I am truly
glad to have been part of this audience regardless of the
glitches in cinematography.
VIDEO:
Widescreen
AUDIO:
Dolby
Digital 5.1 Surround Sound - English
Subtitles - English Spanish - Optional
BONUS FEATURES:
Behind the Scenes A
9 minutes documentary by writer Jim Stovall and the entire
cast.
The Ultimate Gift Music
Video.
Legacy Music Video.
RATING BREAK DOWN:
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VIDEO |
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AUDIO |
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| BONUS
FEATURES |
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Review
By Jen
jen@smartcine.com
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