The ultimate gift

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Movie
German title The ultimate gift
Original title The Ultimate Gift
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2007
length 114 minutes
Age rating FSK 6
Rod
Director Michael O. Sajbel
script Cheryl McKay
Jim Stovall
production Dean River
music Mark McKenzie
camera Brian Baugh
cut Scott Chestnut
occupation

The ultimate gift (Original title: The Ultimate Gift ) is an American drama film directed by Michael O. Sajbel from 2007. The film is based on the book of the same name by Jim Stovall . The follow-up film "Das ultimative Leben" (original title The Ultimate Life ") was released in 2013 and" Das ultimative Vermächtnis "(original title The ultimate Legacy) was released in 2015. These are also based on the follow-up books of the same name by Jim Stovall.

action

Billionaire Howard "Red" Stevens is dead and is buried. He has always had an ambivalent relationship with his family, as the individual members are superficial and obsessed with money. Grandson Jason has also only attracted attention in the past through waste and parties and even appears too late at the funeral. He has not had any contact with his grandfather for a long time. He is also the only one who remains absent when the will is opened, believing that he will not inherit anything anyway. Before his death, Howard ordered that each family member must leave the room when they learned their inheritance. Individual factories and properties are given to their future owners by lawyer Hamilton until only Jason is left in the end. He wants to go, but Howard has given him his too. In a video message, he tells him that he will give Jason various gifts if he passes certain exams. In the end, the "ultimate gift" will be waiting for Jason. Although Jason doesn't really want to play the game, his superficial girlfriend convinces him to take part first, because a large sum of money could be waiting for Jason in the end.

The first assignment takes Jason to Houston , Texas , on Rancher Gus' farm. Jason is supposed to work and break posts for the ranch. At first he refuses, but realizes that his task is only completed at the end of the work. A month later he smashed the last post and Gus drove him back to the airport. He does not receive a reward. Back at Hamilton, Jason learns that with the task he has symbolically received the gift of labor.

The second task sounds simple at first: Jason is supposed to come to Hamilton with a true friend at the end of the month. When Jason comes to his luxury apartment that day, it's empty. His sports car is also taken away. He goes out to eat with his superficial girlfriend, but ends up realizing that his credit cards have been blocked. When he asks his girlfriend to pay for the meal, she leaves the restaurant indignantly. In the evening Jason tries in vain to stay with one of his friends and ends up sleeping in the open air on a park bench, where he comes into conflict with a beggar because Jason occupies "his" bench. Jason also meets the girl Emily in the park, who, like his mother Alexia, was also at Howard's funeral. Emily chats a little with Jason, but is pulled away by Alexia. When the beggar wants to steal from Alexia a little later, Jason saves mother and daughter. The three start a conversation and Jason asks them to pretend to be his friends. In fact, Emily can convincingly embody Jason's good friend in front of Hamilton and symbolically gives Jason the gift of friends. Jason now receives a paycheck from Hamilton due to his work at Gus. However, he should not keep the money, but use it for good causes.

In the park he sees the beggar again, to whom he wants to give part of the money. However, he runs away and Jason sees that he has left a stolen bag behind. It's Alexia's bag, which contains numerous unpaid bills, including due rent bills of $ 1,600 and hospital bills. Jason visits Alexia in the hospital and sees Emily here, who in reality always wears a wig. Emily has leukemia and is about to relapse after starting therapy. Although Alexia declines any financial support from Jason, he pays the rent. He can find the $ 100 missing from his money in small change. The gift of giving should be followed by the gift of the family, so Jason's new task is to do well with his family or at least to find positive aspects in them. Jason persuades Alexia to accompany her to his relatives' Thanksgiving dinner. The evening runs in a series of Howard insults and self-portraits until Jason has had enough and leaves. Nevertheless, the task is considered accomplished. Since Emily had to eat turkey alone in the hospital , she insists that Jason come to see her at least for Christmas. He now knows about his new job: a trip to Ecuador .

Jason has a troubled relationship with Ecuador, as his father died here in a plane crash. He was serving Howard at the time and Jason never forgave him for his father's death. Jason meets the traces of his family in a village in Ecuador, so Howard has had a Stevens lending library built here. Jason is touched that it was named after his father and not his grandfather. Although he is warned about marauding drug gangs, Jason goes with a villager to the plane wreck in the woods. Here Jason learns the truth about his father's death. The medic was not traveling by plane to get to a neighboring village where an epidemic allegedly had broken out. In reality he had taken the plane in high spirits and crashed out of recklessness. Howard later recognized the same restlessness in Jason, which is why he was closest to him. Jason and his companion are surprised by a drug gang on the plane and kidnapped. They are held captive for many days until Jason manages to escape shortly after Christmas. He also saves the life of his companion.

He couldn't fulfill Emily's wish to be home for Christmas. He promises Alexia to make up for everything next Christmas, but she says that Emily won't survive the next year. Jason convinces Hamilton to lend him Howard's private jet. The three of them fly to Gus' ranch, who has had his property decorated for Christmas. Emily arrives at her belated Christmas party and sees her greatest wish come true: She has the most beautiful day of her life and realizes that Jason has fallen in love with Alexia. Jason has previously received a new task from Hamilton: He should be clear about his dream. When he returns, he knows that he wants to help people achieve their dreams. Hamilton realizes that Jason has now become a different person, just as Howard wanted it to be. He's now receiving a check for $ 100 million. Jason invests the money in a facility called Emily's Home , which is supposed to offer parents with seriously ill children their own hospital and residential area. At the announcement of this decision, Alexia receives a call and rushes to the hospital with Jason. She learns that Emily has died. A little later, the foundation stone for Emily's Home is laid. Only now does Jason receive the ultimate gift: All of Howard's remaining assets will be overwritten, which includes not only cash but also stocks, companies and land with a total value of two billion dollars. Hamilton wants to act as a consultant to Jason, who in turn is even more closely connected to Alexia after Emily's death.

production

The Ultimate Gift was shot primarily in Charlotte , North Carolina . The film was distributed by Fox Faith, a religious sub-label of 20th Century Fox . The film was released on March 9, 2007 in US cinemas and grossed around $ 3.4 million. The film was released on DVD just five months after its theatrical release. DVD sales in two months were more than $ 9.5 million. The film did not go to cinemas in Germany and was released directly on DVD on April 17, 2009.

criticism

Variety called the film a "predictable yet engaging drama" that could appeal to viewers with a "sense of heartbreaking sentiment." At the same time, Variety emphasizedthe film's Christian religious message, which the Washington Post also addressed in its criticism. The film is "serious, if not bombastic" and is in line with Christian or religiously motivated films such as Conversations With God . The plot is full of simple truths and wisdom, including that happiness lies only in friends, family, meaningful work, and gratitude.

The New York Times wrote that the film was "oozing with self-righteousness and moral blame," and summarized: "If the goal of producers is to get Christian dollars to fill the box office, it may be a bad idea to try out the artistic taste of the dollar. To insult the owner in such a way. ”For the catholic film service , The Ultimate Gift was a“ thought-provoking tragic comedy that also appeals to Christian ethical values ​​”.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Jeannette Catsoulis: Grandpa's Legacy, Beyond Cash . movies2.nytimes.com, March 9, 2007.
  2. ↑ See The Ultimate Gift on boxofficemojo.com
  3. ↑ "predictable but pleasant drama [that] may be prized by those with a taste for […] heart-tugging sentiment." Cf. variety.com  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically defective marked. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.variety.com  
  4. ↑ "earnest", "turgid" See washingtonpost.com
  5. ↑ "... the story is full of simple truths and hard-won wisdom - that happiness lies in friends, family, meaningful work and gratitude" Cf. washingtonpost.com
  6. ↑ "Reeking of self-righteousness and moral reprimand ..." / ". If the goal is to attract Christian dollars to the multiplex, perhaps insulting the artistic sensibilities of their owners is not the best way to go" See Jeannette Catsoulis. Grandpa's Legacy , Beyond Cash . movies2.nytimes.com, March 9, 2007.
  7. ↑ The ultimate gift. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used