BERNAL, CHLOE V.

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF BS PH1-01

THE ULTIMATE GIFT

1. Synopsis/summary
The movie starts on the death of Howard 'Red' Stevens. As Mr. Hamilton started
to distribute the assets of Howard to his family, the members begin to realize that
almost nothing was left for them and if ever there were any assets to be given,
those weren’t worth a lot. However, Jason Stevens came late to the meeting. He
was not expecting that his grandfather would leave him any property but he was
surprised to know that there was something “more” waiting for him. Jason’s
grandfather turned out to have planned something before he died which was to
give a series of tasks for Jason to complete. At first, Jason was hesitant to do the
tasks since he just wanted the money of Howard, but h eventually succumbed to
the curiosity of the ultimate gift. He then started his journey into completing the
tasks while he begins to realize his real priorities and values in life; more
importantly, he began to realize the true meaning of happiness.
2. Identify the different temperaments of the characters and the interplay of
emotions affecting their relationships.
Mr. Theophilus Hamilton – Melancholic. Mr. Hamilton was a very analytical
man who knew how to listen. He was a lawyer and his personality made him wise
when it comes to making decisions especially for Jason and how he will
designate the gift.
Miss Hastings - Phlegmatic – Miss Hastings complemented Mr. Hamilton,
since he was very analytical, there were some instances when she needed to
provide an insight and aid in the decision making. She balances the strictness of
Mr. Hamilton’s strictness in following the rules of the game by interfering when
it’s time to give in to Jason’s requests like borrowing a private jet.
Jason Stevens – Sanguine > Choleric. Jason Stevens used to be a sociable,
carefree, and careless man. This was the primary reason as to why Howard gave
him the series of tasks. Sooner as he finishes his tasks, he begins to become
wiser and analytical with his decisions in life while he maintains his sociable and
domineering side. He needs this because as a business man, you need to
become convincing with other people.
Alexia – Phlegmatic. Alexia depicted a motherly aura as she was always the
one who wanted the best for Jason. She is very understanding to him and his
greedy family, and she was the one who reminded Jason of what love supposed
to be, and that money is not everything. Her personality complemented Jason’s
Emily Rose – Choleric. Emily was street smart and she had a very analytical
and wise mind despite her age. She is also very outspoken and firm with her
words. This was the reason as to why Jason and Alexia stepped onto another
level because she orchestrated for it to happen. She was also the light of their
relationship.
BERNAL, CHLOE V. UNDERSTANDING THE SELF BS PH1-01
THE ULTIMATE GIFT

3. Enumerate and explain about the gifts Jason has to undergo to get the
ultimate gift
The First Gift: The Gift of Work
Jason was tasked to work in a farm for a month. The significance for this is for
Jason to learn the art of hard work, perseverance, and patience. Jason was a
person who never lifted a finger and he always got what he wanted without any
worries.
The Second Gift: The Gift of Money
Jason receives his salary after his work from the farm. He learns in here that
nothing is free in this world and everything must be learned through hard work.
The Third Gift: The Gift of Friends
Jason was a man who had a lot of money which meant that he never really had a
set of true friends. The people who were surrounding him were only there for him
because of his money but when Jason lost his money, he began to learn that he
never had any real friends because they we’re just using him.
The Fourth Gift: The Gift of Learning
Jason was sent to a library that Red built in order to assist th librarian. He learns
the importance of education in here as he realizes the shortage of books and the
fact that libraries are inaccessible in third world countries.
The Fifth Gift: The Gift of Problems
Jason is instructed to find four people with different problems. The reason for this
is that Jason never had a single problem in life because everything was made
ready for him perfectly. He begins to realize that we learn our greatest lessons
through problems.
The Sixth Gift: The Gift of Family
Jason begins to learn the importance of family and the joy that comes with it. He
never really had a great relationship with his family members which is why he
never knew the importance of having to share a moment with someone.
The Seventh Gift: The Gift of Laughter
Jason learns that by the end of the day, you just have to take life with a grain of
salt. What matters is that we are alive and that problems will eventually have
solutions.
BERNAL, CHLOE V. UNDERSTANDING THE SELF BS PH1-01
THE ULTIMATE GIFT

The Eighth Gift: The Gift of Dreams

Jason doesn’t know himself. He doesn’t have a dream nor aspirations in life,
which is why he has received the gift of dreaming. In the film, he begins to
explore himself in order to know what he truly wants to do in his life.
The Ninth Gift: The Gift of Giving
Jason learns that everything doesn’t need to have an exchange. Sometimes you
just give something to the person because that person means something to you
The Tenth Gift: The Gift of Love
Jason learns the gift of love. This is one of the most important gifts because the
world wouldn’t function without love. He grew up to people using him, but he
never really had a chance to feel what it truly feels to be loved, and he felt this at
the lowest time of his life when Alexia and Emily accepted him despite having
nothing.
4. What is the ultimate gift and its significance?
The ultimate gift was when they gave Jason a billion of Howards assets.
However, I think this wasn’t the ultimate gift. I think that the ultimate gift was
Jason’s change itself. He has turned into a wiser and humble man, and because
of the gifts that he received, he began to allocate his time, money, and thoughts
into something more meaningful. With this, he used his assets and the company
in order to build a center which caters to the underprivileged patients like Emily.
This is really nice because for once, Jason has done something that is significant
in this world, something that could really contribute to the society.
5. Write your reflections/lessons learned you can apply in your personal life.
Quote apt or inspiring expressions to explain or support your stand or
views.
“Success is useless if you have no one to share it with”
The main lesson that I learned in this movie was to realize that life isn’t just about
money. Money is great, because you can buy anything with it, but is life really
worth living for if all you have is just money? We tend to forget the people that
matters to us the most because of pursuing our dreams. We study hard and then
we work hard, and because of that we rarely have a lot of time to spend with our
loved ones. I know that my family and friends won’t be gone, but life is
unpredictable. You won’t know what will happen tomorrow, which is why I
realized that there should be a balance between work and family. We should not
wait for a tragic thing to happen like a friend leaving you in order to realize that
love is much more important that money, we should live everyday like it’s our last
to avoid regretting the things that we haven’t done/tried. This movie also made
me realize that we should constantly examine and evaluate ourselves if we are
truly living a meaningful life. This life is the greatest gift that God has ever given
BERNAL, CHLOE V. UNDERSTANDING THE SELF BS PH1-01
THE ULTIMATE GIFT

to us which is why we should make our lives meaningful by doing meaningful

things.