(c) 2006 A story that just keeps giving. Michael and I liked this 4-Star family movie on the gift of giving Time, Talent, Love and Dollars. We love it for the great morals/values kind of movie that it is.
When his wealthy grandfather dies, trust fund baby Jason Stevens (Drew Fuller) anticipates a big inheritance. Instead, his grandfather, Red Stevens (James Garner) has devised a crash course on life with twelve tasks – or “gifts” – designed to challenge Jason in improbable ways, sending him on a journey of self-discovery and forcing him to determine what is most important in life: money or happiness.
Emily (Abigale Breslin), age 11 has terminal cancer but it is not evident to Jason. One of the gifts Jason has to accomplish is to have just one friend who loves you with no strings attached. When asked how long she intends to stay friends with Jason she tells the attorney (Bill Cobbs) in charge of the project, “I intend to know him my whole life!”
Brian Dennehy (love this guy) plays Gus, an old time friend of Jason’s grandfather. One of the gifts involves Jason putting in a fence for Gus. Gus goes to pick him up one day and says to Jason, “I wish I had a dollar for every fence post I ever set. . .as a matter of fact, I do!”—As the camera pans his miles of acres with hundreds of miles of fence posts, Jason “gets it” that it sometimes takes hard work to get where you want to go. (You can see this scene on YouTube called, Rude awakening for Jason:
Helpful Links and References:
- See the Trailer: https://www.theultimategift.com/movie.php?cid=1560810621&cat=movie
- Based on the best-selling book “The Ultimate Gift” by Jim Stovall