The Ultimate Life (2013)
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A man's pursuit of wealth and legal battles over a foundation leads him to discover his grandfather's secret journal.
The story
Three years after the events of The Ultimate Gift, Jason Stevens is managing the Stevens Foundation following his grandfather's inheritance. While planning to propose to his partner, Alexia, Jason is blindsided by a lawsuit from his aunts and uncles seeking control of the foundation. Distracted by the legal conflict and his wealth, he fails to notice Alexia's decision to leave for six months as a disaster nurse in Haiti. After she departs, Jason seeks counsel from his grandfather's lawyer, who directs him to a personal journal written by Red Stevens.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Three years after the events of The Ultimate Gift, Jason Stevens is running the Stevens Foundation after inheriting the trust of his grandfather, Red Stevens. Planning to propose to Alexia, Jason is interrupted by a notice of a lawsuit by his aunts and uncles vying for control of the foundation and the inheritance. So focused on fighting the lawsuit and the continued pursuit of his wealth, Jason does not have time to listen to Alexia's announcement that she has decided to become a disaster nurse in Haiti for six months. Alexia leaves a note with Jason who reads the news of her departure with shock. Seeking advice, Jason goes to his grandfather's friend and lawyer, Mr. Hamilton. Mr. Hamilton reveals that his grandfather had written a personal journal that he encourages Jason to read for advice. The rest of the film is a frame story covering the life of Red Stevens and his pursuit of his wealth.
- First release year
- 2013
- Runtime (minutes)
- 105
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Michael Landon Jr.
- Writers
- Brian Bird · screenplay; Lisa G. Shillingburg · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Logan Bartholomew · Jason Stevens; Ali Hillis · Alexia; Bill Cobbs · Mr. Hamilton; Peter Fonda
- Genres
- drama; romantic comedy-drama
- Themes
- wealth; legacy; sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- predictable; wooden
- Premise and plot tags
- sequel; based on a novel
- Source material / true-story basis
- novel by Jim Stovall
- Franchise connections
- The Ultimate Gift
- Reception
- The film received overwhelming dislike from critics, with some citing a predictable story and wooden acting. It underperformed financially, grossing less than its expected amount in its opening weekend.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 19 · scale: 100
- Production trivia
- The film was released to 412 theaters.; A sequel titled The Ultimate Legacy was released in 2017.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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