A Must-See Movie

This is just a jumping-on post. The fact that it's my first in over six months (and only second-ever) does not imply any special importance.

Have you seen The ULTIMATE GIFT?

The movie came and went too fast in the theaters to gain much attention, and received little press. With apologies and credits to Charles Colson, I quote here part of his review of this sleeper:

The Ultimate Gift tells the story of a wealthy man, Red Stevens, who was so busy providing for his family's physical needs that he failed to teach them real values. Faced with grown children who cared for nothing but money and power, Red makes one last effort to help a family member find redemption.

To the rest of his family, Red leaves money and businesses; but to his grandson, Jason, he leaves a set of instructions on DVD that he recorded before his death.

On the first recording, Red explains to Jason what money without values does to people. "How can I leave you something and not ruin you?" he asks. So to earn his inheritance, Jason has to perform a series of tasks—or "gifts," as his grandfather calls them—that will teach him the value of hard work, friendship, dreams, and other things that the younger man's life has been too long without.

I can recall very few films that have dealt as wisely and as beautifully with so many important themes, like the corruption that wealth can cause, or the redemption that's possible for even the most self-centered human being.

It bothers me that more people did not get to see this film in theaters. You would think a film that starred two Oscar nominees and told a compelling story would have done better. But unfortunately, the fact is that it was distributed by Fox Faith, and the Christian label may have hurt it.


Watch the trailer at http://www.theultimategift.com and see if it doesn't move close to the top of your To Watch list.