The Ultimate Gift
Bigger Picture, The | Release Date: March 9, 2007 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
49
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
10
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
It's a well-made little inspirational drama featuring both a familiar older star (James Garner) and a new one (Abigail Breslin). Read full review
70
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
There's nothing wrong with the moral of The Ultimate Gift's story; in fact there's everything right about it. But director Michael O. Sajbel too often succumbs to movie-of-the-week sentimentality and starchy pacing. Still, Breslin's captivating performance reminds you why she was recently nominated for an Oscar. Read full review
70
VarietyJoe Leydon
Although cynics likely will reject The Ultimate Gift as warmed-over Capra-corn, this predictable but pleasant drama based on Jim Stovall's popular novel may be prized by those with a taste for inspirational uplift and heart-tugging sentiment. Read full review
67
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Things may work out predictably, but The Ultimate Gift does not yank on the heartstrings so much as pluck them gently. Read full review
67
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
Garner is good, and so is Brian Dennehy as a crusty ranch owner; Abigail Breslin, playing a leukemia patient, demonstrates that she was not a one-note wonder in "Little Miss Sunshine." Read full review
50
Village VoiceScott Foundas
Directed with accomplished impersonality by Michael O. Sajbel ( One Night With the King), The Ultimate Gift means well, but in the end it's "The Pursuit of Happyness" made from the ivory tower looking down instead of from the street looking up. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneLouis R. Carlozo
The plot, though of the made-for-TV ilk, makes for good discussion fodder if you're trying to impress life's lessons on children or others you love. That said, be prepared to be hit over the head by the message, edifying as it is. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesMark Olsen
The film constantly teeters on the fulcrum of its own treacly good intentions and simplistic parable-like storytelling, and the extent that it stays balanced is largely thanks to its agile cast. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
This drama from Fox Faith Movies has a mercifully light hand in selling its Christian-values themes, but its plodding story about a spoiled young scion who must complete 12 tasks assigned him by his late grandfather is still a slog. Read full review
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
More watchable for secular audiences than the handful of earlier films released under the Fox Faith label, this one actually has a sense of humor, a politically progressive point of view and a solid cast including the ever-reliable James Garner. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
It is message filmmaking so blunt you might be tempted to root for the parasitic reprobate over the saintly old man, and that's just not right. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterFrank Scheck
"Gift" comes across as a television-ready effort that would work perfectly for Hallmark. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyGregory Kirschling
Kind of like a feel-good "Saw" for churchgoers, minus the sadistic games of death. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
The message is clear almost immediately: charity not vanity. Read full review
40
The New York TimesJeannette Catsoulis
Reeking of self-righteousness and moral reprimand, Michael O. Sajbel’s Ultimate Gift”is a hairball of good-for-you filmmaking. Read full review
20
Austin ChronicleToddy Burton
The story, based on the novel by motivational speaker Jim Stovall, throws every emotional stimulus into the pot, and the result is a deep desire for those Hollywood execs to remember that Christian doesn't have to equal brain-dead. Read full review
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