By Tuulia Koponen
Staff Writer
Unwrap the movie The Ultimate Gift and you uncover life’s gifts leading up to the most ultimate gift. Discover the movie The Ultimate Life and you learn life’s gifts don’t come easy.
Taking place three years after Jason Stevens (Logan Bartholomew) discovers the ultimate gift, thanks to the journey his deceased grandfather, Red Stevens, takes him on in The Ultimate Gift, The Ultimate Life tells Red’s tale through the pages of a journal. Jason is given the journal from lawyer, Mr. Hamilton (Bill Cobbs), to uncover life’s true fortune after girlfriend, Alexia (Alli Hillis), leaves for Haiti to nurse sick children for six months.
Although The Ultimate Life follows the usual rags-to-riches storyline of success going to a man’s head and then him discovering what is truly important in life, it does so with interwoven humorous, touching, relatable and thought-provoking moments in which Red’s most important relationships are made.
The foundation behind Red and Hamilton’s friendship is revealed as well as why three of Red’s four kids are stuck up and ungrateful. The tale also includes several coincidental times between Red and friend, Gus, that create the strong and intriguing friendship they have.
The film has memorable moments such as writing the ‘golden list’, being tongue-tied in front of a first love, almost losing someone on Christmas and a young adult learning the true value behind a big sum of money given by a parent.
I was disappointed to find Drew Fuller replaced by Logan Bartholomew to play the role of Stevens, but was delighted by his performance alongside Alli Hillis as Alexia. Austin James and Drew Waters were lovely to watch play Red at the young and old age with Abigail Mavity and Elizabeth Ann Bennett being the right women for the job of playing Hanna at the young and adult age as well.
Although I was left wanting more in the beginning, as the film progressed to telling Red’s tale, I was pleasantly laughing, smiling and saddened during appropriate times in the film. As the film ended, I was influenced to achieve my dream, create a legacy and discover my own true fortune.
Overall, The Ultimate Life is a truly pleasing movie experience. It is quite a delight to see the beginnings behind my favorite film, The Ultimate Gift, and really discover the good, the bad and the ugly that make The Ultimate Life.
