Rotten Tomatoe's 33% rating is on the money. I caught a blurb about the film including mini synopsis to wit: Grandfather dies and leaves challenges, rather than $$$$$ to his errant playboy grandson. Finally, I thought, an adult 'coming of age film' with a nice twist and good potential. In the end good potential does not carry the day.
This is a faith based film (not that there is anything wrong with that) where Grand Daddy (James Garner) has a postmortem plan to make a mensch of his long estranged, errant young adult playboy grandson. A plan to instill maturity, family values and a large dose of moral clarity. We are not talking about a run of the mill grandson. Rather Jason already has such wealth that he has no problem spending $25,000 a night for a Paris hotel room. Hence, it is quite understandable that Jason, showing little concern, storms out of the will-probate office when he learns when Grand Daddy has not left him any outright money in his will.
It became obvious early on that viewing this film required that I constantly suspend my disbelief system.
When a possible 'future' bequest is mentioned Jason's curiosity takes hold long enough to take first class seat (at least he thought it was first class) to Texas to pick up the secret $$$$$$ bequest. Upon landing in Texas his hopes are more than dashed. Not only is there no money but he is offered a chance to work for the first time in his life without an inkling of any reward he would actually receive for the work. This awkward set-up typifies the problems with this script. It quickly gets worse. First, Jason fails to turn right around and head home as we would expect him to do and then he learns the nature of Grand Daddy's first of many 'gifts.'
We are to believe that Grand Daddy has spent weeks, months or longer fine tuning his plan to transform Jason by a variety of clever non-money 'gifts.' The first gift, the gift of work, will set the tone. Surely it will by some kind of work aimed at building Jason's moral fiber, right? Perhaps building homes for the poor a la Jimmie Carter, working in a soup kitchen, being a hospital volunteer, a senior home volunteer and/or delivering meals to the ill and elderly? Not at all. This well thought out job requires Jason to awaken daily at 4-5am, for a full month, and spend each day at hard labor digging fence post holes on a vast ranch. We are to believe Jason buys into this when he could be savoring that $25,000/night Paris hotel suite.
When Jason takes his girlfriend out for an expensive dinner and his credit card is denied he assumes, as any of us would, that there was a glitch. His long time gold digging girlfriend should have little choice but to pay the bill. After all, Jason's spent countless thousands on her, this is his first ever credit card glitch and she has no real reason to believe he is detached from his great wealth. Instead she storms out in a huff and tosses their relationship leaving Jason to deal with the unpaid bill several hundred dollar bill.
And quite the immoral lesson that leaves Jason enjoying his several hundred dollar meal without paying a cent while the restaurant owner is stiffed and left to take the loss.
How exactly are Grand Daddy's cronies able to instantly turn very wealthy Jason into a penniless, property-less Jason? Gone in the bat of an eye are all his cars, property, money etc. Another lesson at the expense of legalities?
I loved Emily as Little Sunshine but scripts that have young kids endlessly playing 12 going on 30 bug me. As did Emily's incessant lecturing to Jason vis a vis: This is how your love life is going to be....DO YOU HEAR ME JASON....DO YOU HEAR ME?
As for Jason and Emily's mom Alexia there is little chemistry in this equation which is consistent with our inability to determine what if any feelings they have for one another during most of the movie.
Jason stumbles forward, always with little or no real incentive. When he needs a place to stay for the night he cannot find even one of his scores upon scores of hanger on friends willing to 'invest' even a single night on the very real assumption that Jason will bounce back and quickly be reunited with his fortune. And what a great investment that living room sofa for the night would have been!
There are billions of reasons to stay tuned for: Ultimate Gift 2: Jason & the Lure of the Green Poultice.
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