The Ultimate Gift

[Dee Smith]

Regarding Hollyweird, I'm not a big supporter of it these days. So much of the "entertainment" Hollywood churns out is a pile of doo. Imagine my pleasant surprise upon watching The Ultimate Gift (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482629/)! This movie exceeded my expectations, for once.

Red Stevens (played by James Garner) is a tough old bird and recently deceased. He's also filthy rich. His nasty family members show up for the reading of his will, each person receiving portions of his vast estate, none of whom are satisfied with their gifts. Drew, Red's estranged grandson, is spoiled but has heart. Red (via a video diary) sends Drew on a journey of self-discovery before giving him the ultimate gift - and it isn't just money that Drew receives. Along the way, Drew befriends a sick little girl (Abigail Breslin from Little Miss Sunshine), and he learns how to be a true friend.

The story has heart. I was shocked that I actually enjoyed a movie from Blockbuster. Who knew?

[Barb Bouldrey]

The copy that we have of this movie has a 12-Bible study lesson booklet that came with it. You can have a lesson on each of the gifts given in the movie. We are passing the movie on to our teen teacher to watch and consider using in his S.S. class.

A very nice movie with a great message.

We just watched it New Year's Eve.

Barb

[Robin Hatcher]

I read the book prior to watching the movie they are somewhat different, but both wonderful - great message. My daughter was even reading some of the original book by Jim Stovall - its a quick read that you want to spend some time thinking about. The movie version of the book was written by Rene Gutteridge - basically more background details and more of a story than the original book. Fiction is a neat way to learn - stories hit you in the heart.