The Ultimate Gift (2006) Movie Review: Uninspired ‘Inspirational’ Drama

The Ultimate Gift movie with Drew Fuller and Abigail Breslin. Michael O. Sajbel’s sentimental drama debuted at Indianapolis’ Heartland Film Festival in 2006; it opened the following year – to poor business – in the United States.

The Ultimate Gift (movie 2006) review: Heavy-handed ‘inspirational’ drama takes much too long to deliver its feel-righteous message

The Ultimate Gift spends two hours delivering a message that a recent Coca-Cola ad conveys in 30 seconds: “You give a little love and it all comes back to you.”

But while the commercial passes this message on to its viewers effectively and at full tilt, the movie makes the inexcusable faux pas of incessantly repeating it in every possible variation.

Abetted by screenwriter Cheryl McKay, director Michael O. Sajbel – whose One Night with the King failed to score with critics – has crafted a mediocre family drama that feels like an overlong sermon, hammering into the heads of its viewers the concepts of “family values” and the importance of friendship and faith.

Conditional bequest

Based on a novel by Jim Stovall (who makes a cameo appearance) and released by Fox Faith, The Ultimate Gift follows the turbulent story of Jason Stevens (Drew Fuller), a spoiled slacker whose life takes a drastic turn when he learns that his deceased grandfather, Red (James Garner), has named him the only heir to the old man’s fortune.

The catch is that Jason is not to receive his inheritance until he completes a series of challenging tasks, which Red calls “gifts.”

Fantasizing about the big bucks, Jason takes on his first mission and flies to a Texas farm, where he is asked to put up a fence. His reward, however, does not involve any money. Instead, Red informs his grandson via videotape that he has successfully earned “the gift of work.”

Step by step, the movie then follows Jason as he struggles to earn the remaining gifts, each one teaching him a life lesson. Along the way, he also befriends a young girl named Emily (Abigail Breslin), a talkative cancer patient who will help Jason overcome his irresponsible lifestyle and find true happiness.

Can’t buy him happiness

At this stage, The Ultimate Gift switches from sophisticated drama to stiff lecture. The message that money can’t buy happiness is repeated in almost every scene and in just about every bit of dialogue. As a result, the film rapidly runs out of motivational resources.

Worse yet, the dramatic flow of the movie’s first half is shattered when, during a visit to South America, Jason falls into the hands of drug lords. Unnecessary and glaringly misplaced, all this action-packed segment does is kill off any credibility left for both the protagonist and the film itself.

The corny ending that follows doesn’t help matters any.

Abigail Breslin + James Garner

Although The Ultimate Gift fails to impart its moral values to the audience, the movie does benefit from a handful of solid performances led by an outstanding Abigail Breslin, recently nominated for an Oscar for Little Miss Sunshine.

As for James Garner, he appears only on videotape. Even so, the veteran actor delivers a heartfelt performance as oil tycoon Red Stevens.

As a whole, however, The Ultimate Gift could hardly be called inspirational filmmaking.

The Ultimate Gift (movie 2006) cast & crew

Director: Michael O. Sajbel.

Screenplay: Cheryl McKay.
From Jim Stovall’s 1999 novel.

Cast: Drew Fuller. Abigail Breslin. James Garner. Brian Dennehy. Lee Meriwether. Ali Hillis. Catherine McGoohan. Bill Cobbs.

“The Ultimate Gift (Movie 2006): Uninspired ‘Inspirational’ Drama” review text © Franck Tabouring; excerpt, image captions, bullet point introduction, and notes © Alt Film Guide.

“The Ultimate Gift (Movie 2006): Uninspired ‘Inspirational’ Drama” notes

The Ultimate Gift turned out to be James Garner’s final big-screen role.

Abigail Breslin and Drew Fuller The Ultimate Gift movie image: Fox Faith.

“The Ultimate Gift (Movie 2006): Uninspired ‘Inspirational’ Drama” last updated in April 2023.