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Sick Product of a Sick System

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Good story, Not enough for a whole film

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

After reading the series I was very excited to find that films had been made. My husband and I really like the Ultimate Gift although it left out parts of the book, it was still a wonderful movie. So I rented The Ultimate Life without hesitation and when we sat down to watch it, I wanted to scream! I was really looking forward to seeing court case of Jason against his greedy relatives and all I saw was a bi-op of Red's life. Did the director even read this fantastic book? He couldn't have, because he didn't do it justice at all. I was peeved that Drew Fuller wasn't in this film but little did it matter since Logan Bartholomew wasn't much in it as well. What a let down to a life changing book. This series deserved better.

When The Ultimate Life was released, I decided to go to the theater to watch it, thinking that it would be as good as The Ultimate Gift (I've watched that movie a few times, including shortly before going to see The Ultimate Life) - The Ultimate Life ended up being an unnecessary addition to the original, unless you're interested in the family's background and don't like the ending of the original movie. If you haven't seen The Ultimate Gift, be sure to watch that movie before viewing The Ultimate Life. Once again Jason is learning how to be a model citizen, but this time through reading his grandfather's journal. The prequel (most of the movie) shows Red at a young age, how the family became rich, and how his mistakes led to some of the family's problems (more money was never enough to him, he neglected his family). Red's change in character is shown, but unfortunately it came too late for his own children (most followed the bad example he set for them when they were younger). The sequel is predictable to anyone who's watched The Ultimate Gift. Some people think that this movie is Christian - The truth is that there is very little mention of God or anything else associated with Christianity (most people would agree with the movie's message, regardless of religion).

The Ultimate Life has been attacked by critics as a sop to "family values" types and prudes, who complain about "too much sex and violence" in movies. I'm not a prude or an ultra religious person, and I loved this film. I knew nothing about it when I agreed to go with two friends, who had seen trailers for it. I nearly passed after reading critics' reviews, and boy, am I glad I didn't.This is a "feel good" movie which I highly recommend, particularly to anyone who likes a good romance. The main characters are shown falling in love as teens and still in love as adults. It presents its characters honestly and shows how someone can change from ruthlessly pursuing riches to wanting to do good for mankind. You'll also see beautiful cinematography of the Texas prairies.There are battle scenes of WW II and it also portrays the beginning of the oil industry in Texas. The key word for me is romance. Ignore the critics this time. This is a story well told.Please check this review for spoilers.

I usually do not find a lot to be critical of in a movie. I like cheesy action films, bad comedies, and overdone dramas. But this movie was just awful. The acting looked like it was from a whose line is it anyway skit. It was like the skit where one actor is given a character to play and they overact it so ridiculously that the other improvist can easily guess who they are. And this acting was pervasive throughout the film.The interactions between the characters were unbelievable. The main guy, proposing to his girlfriend with the ring in hand, is served a subpoena and promptly puts the ring away and leaves the girlfriend there alone. I get it. The guy has his priorities mixed up. But, that's ridiculous. Additionally, the whole movie is a flashback that the main guy is reading about in his grandpa's journal. After a night's reading, he is a changed man, and is now worthy of his girlfriend. Come on. But the frustration continues. The flashback portion of the movie takes us back to late depression era USA. Following the grandpa now (who is 15 at the time) we get to see comical attempts in recreating the time periods. Sitting around the table in an obviously poor apartment, is the grandpa's family. His younger brother has on a t shirt that was clearly bought at old navy. Later, the grandpa is getting paid for a day's work. The dollars he is paid in look suspicious from a distant camera shot, but whatever. But then, the camera zooms in nice and close to show 20s that are clearly a modern design. These are small things that honestly made the whole movie look silly.I suppose those involved with making this movie are of the mindset that the wonderful message behind it absolves them of any professional film making responsibility. In reality, they do that wonderful message injustice by expressing it through unbelievable dialog, poor acting, comical laziness in recreating time eras, and logic defying character development.