Movie Review: The Ultimate Gift

If I had to sum up this movie in one word, that word would be "predictable". Nothing that happens in this film is going to catch you by surprise if you're over age 10. It's not a bad movie, and there are a few chuckles in it, but if you want something new, this isn't it.

The Ultimate Gift has the feel of a made-for-the-Hallmark-Channel movie, but without Valerie Bertinelli. The premise: a rich guy dies and leaves his horrible, spoiled adult children nothing of value, but to his even-worse grandson, he promises the "Ultimate Gift" if he just follows a set of instructions. For each step he completes he'll get a gift, and if he makes it through them all, he gets the big one.

As you'd expect, the spoiled rich kid learns a series of lessons, and along the way meets a poor single mother with a sick child (Abigail Breslin, adorable in a sarcastic, too-wise-for-her-years way) who befriend and help him learn what's really important. It's a movie you might want to watch with your younger kids and talk about the important things the guy learned, but probably not for yourself.

The DVD also includes a pitch for the book that goes with the movie and a bunch of other "life-changing" materials, in an almost infomercial way. You know, in case you need some more schmaltz.

1.5 out of 5 stars