The Ultimate Gift - 3 stars out of 10

The Ultimate Gift - 3 stars out of 10

I have very mixed feelings about "The Ultimate Gift."  At first, I was thrilled to find a highly moral film that does not shove religion down your throat but makes it very clear that we were created to live our lives in a particular way.  I was happy that the acting and script were of a much higher quality than Hallmark Channel-ish films.  I was particularly impressed to see big names like James Garner, Abigail Breslin, Brian Dennehy, and my favorite, Billy Cobbs, taking part in a great high-moral film.  But then... the main character was taken hostage by the guerilla in Ecuador (I know, right?)  What started as a real-world story about a materialistic brat learning about the important things in life began its downward descent into an unnecessary and long-winded sequence that doesn't really even make sense.  For some reason, once this random happening occurs, the quality of acting from Drew Fuller and Ali Hillis and the remainder of the story progressively fall apart.  The story was wonderful for the first half of the film, but then the Ecuador thing happens and the key component (Breslin) to Fuller's transformation disappears for a month.  That hiatus breaks the emotional attachment to Breslin and the rest of the film becomes so rushed that it never returns.  After the initial twist with Breslin I was prepared to cry buckets, regardless of the outcome of the film, but the script eliminated any sort of emotional reaction at the end.  What starts out as a strong film that can keep pace with any major studio production ends in disappointment; however, the big-name actors carry the film and it still delivers its important message of compassion and generosity.  I will still recommend this film for its great message, as long as you promise to fast-forward the Ecuador sequence.