A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

A story like The Ultimate Legacy has been told a million times over, but somehow, it all comes together near perfectly. The tale of a hot shot coming home to his traditional family is given a twist by asking him how he can redeem himself not just emotionally, but spiritually as well. The film is full of terrific performances, including Raquel Welch, Brian Dennehy, and The Shape of Water's Doug Jones. And the story has a terrific conclusion that left me with a smile on my face. I highly recommend this for families!

I up picked up this movie because it had a great cast: Bill Cobbs, Raquel Welch, Brian Dennehy, Doug Jones, and Lee Meriwether (and what seemed to be a fleeting image of James Garner on a video screen). Unfortunately the bulk of the acting rests on the feeble shoulders of young thespian lightweights you're not likely to hear about anytime soon. Moody Actor #1 plays Joey, a spoiled rich kid who stands to inherit millions from his grandma's estate. The story sets about establishing that he's got "issues", and the young lawyers surrounding him are unprofessional schmucks who are unnecessarily cagey about the terms or "gifts" he has to fulfill in a year (a YEAR!) in order to receive that money. Supposedly Joey is a selfish ass but within the first 15 minutes of the movie he's already redesigning a memorial for his grandma and giving food to the homeless. So what was the jerky behavior that convinced everyone Joey was a pampered brat who needed to spend a year (a YEAR!) to prove his worth?Moody Actor #2 plays one of the lawyers. He has a beautiful wife and daughter and laments that he can't spend more time with them because he has to babysit Joey and make sure he fulfills his "gifts". Well, dude, why don't you? Whenever his wife asks him to spend more time with his family he's not with Joey, he's at his office, pounding away on a keyboard and having absolutely no paperwork on his desk (gotta love the digital age). Ditzy Actress plays another lawyer. She wears tiny skirts and heels so high they keep sinking into the lawn every time she crosses it to bring Joey a snack. The inevitability of her ending up with Joey is woefully obvious, and apparently her only purpose in the movie as you never really see her doing any legal work. Rounding out this flaccid cast are the Tolken Black Cast Member, John Davidson's son (looks like him, anyway), and Random White Guys. I could go on but look, the point is, don't see this movie. Raquel Welch has 5 minutes of screen time, as does Cobbs, Dennehy, Meriwether and Jones. Oh, Doug Jones... I specifically picked up this title because in a recent interview he talked about how much fun it was for him to not have to wear a creature suit in a movie, yet even someone of his caliber is barely on screen. If the pitch for this film was "Let's have a weak story and hire a great cast that we don't use in favor of millennials you've never heard of", this is the result. Save yourself the frustration and rewatch "Hellboy 2".

I would be remiss if I did not highly disagree with the current rating(5.9) given to this movie, an absolute joy to watch. Although the ending is a success based on the premise outlined at the beginning, it is the acting led by one of the best young actors of the day, Myko Olivier, in the role of Joey. He brings the same excellent performance as he did in the role of Erik in the TV movie: "Menendez: Blood Brothers". The supporting cast, led by 4 experienced and phenomenal performers - Raquel Welsh, a 1975 Golden Globe winner and a superb international star, Brian Dennehy one of the finest actors in Hollywood and best known for West Wing, Law & Order: SVU and of course his role as Willy Loman in the 2000 TV movie, "Death of a Salesman", Lee Meriwether, Miss America 1955 & perhaps best known for her role in Barnaby Jones with the late Buddy Ebsen. Rounding out the supporting cast is one of the finest African American actors, Bill Cobbs. It goes without saying that this movie is not to be missed especially with all the star power assembled. Kudos to the casting department. Hats off to the director and writers. Finally, listening to Beau Davison(Max) sing a beautiful song - which I assume he wrote as an established song writer- was well worth the wait.Robert Thompson, Victoria, B.C. Canada(robert23@shaw.ca)

If you are into big budget action movies or serious drama and you don't like lighthearted fare then this might not be the movie for you. A Hallmark production directed by Joanne Hock. Decent visual quality with a limited budget. A movie with a message about values and personal responsibility.The third movie in a series. Ultimate Gift and Ultimate Life were the first two. Logan Bartholomew reprising his role as Jason Stevens, from the second movie, and he has taken on the task of preparing Joey Anderson, played by Myko Olivier, for receiving his gift which has been passed on by his deceased grandmother, Miss Sally Mae Anderson, played by Raquel Welch.Raquel Welch's performances in the movie are short but they are critical to the message of the movie. I enjoyed watching the performances of Myko Olivier and Logan Bartholomew.Kelly is played by Katie McClellan who becomes a love interest for Joey. The movie also salutes the service of our veterans especially wounded veterans. I was surprised a few times when songs were playing and the dialogue could not be heard when people were obviously speaking. Guessing the director felt that the audience could discern what was going on and the dialogue was not needed in those scenes.A good family movie and worth watching.