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For Ali Hillis, shooting The Ultimate Gift—which opens in limited release on Friday—was quite a gift in itself.

She'd spent almost two months bobbing in the ocean while making her last film, the straight-to-video Open Water 2: Adrift, a try-not-to-get-eaten-by-sharks B-movie thriller that critics are, shall we say, chewing up and spitting out.

Ali Hillis in 'The Ultimate Gift'

So Hillis welcomed the chance to move on to something as wholesome and uplifting as The Ultimate Gift, the latest movie from FoxFaith. The film was not only shot on dry land, but on location in Hillis' hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, where she got to stay at her parents' house while making the movie. As a bonus, she was also surprised to learn that the screenwriter, Cheryl McKay, was an old friend from Charlotte with whom she'd acted in a local teen theatre group.

The film, based on a popular Jim Stovall book of the same title, is about a twenty-something spoiled rich kid, Jason Stevens, who has an opportunity to inherit a fortune from his just-deceased grandfather. But before he can pocket the cash, Jason must first pass a series of tests—as stipulated by his grandfather's will. Each test presents an opportunity for Jason to learn a valuable life lesson.

Along the way, he meets Alexia (played by Hillis), an attractive single mom who is facing a test of her own: Her young daughter, Emily (the sensational Abigail Breslin), has just been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Alexia's and Jason's worlds couldn't be further apart, but Emily's condition somehow pulls them together and … Well, to say any more would be to say too much.

Joining Hillis (Must Love Dogs; Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) and Breslin (a recent Oscar nominee for Little Miss Sunshine) in the terrific cast are James Garner as the grandfather, Brian Dennehy as a Texas rancher, Drew Fuller as Jason, and Lee Meriwether and Bill Cobbs as trustees of the estate. The film was directed by Michael O. Sajbel, who also directed last year's One Night With the King.

We caught up with the 29-year-old Hillis on her cell phone last week in LA—while she was shopping for a dress for tonight's premiere in Charlotte.

How would you describe this movie?

Ali Hillis: It's a story about real people in real situations. We're subjected to trials throughout life, and we have to check in with our hearts and souls and try to make the right decisions. The movie is all about choices and gifts, and if indeed you follow the right path, then I do believe that we receive an abundance of gifts.

Whether you've got a billionaire grandfather or not?

Hillis: Exactly! But I do believe that if you make the right choices, good things will come, whether they are of monetary value or simply measured in love and happiness.

What do you think was Jason's main problem as this story begins?

Jason (Drew Fuller) was selfish when they first met

Hillis: I think he was sheltered in a world where he didn't have many trials. Life was easy. No one ever challenged him, and therefore he never had to come up with his own thoughts and ideas. He was almost like "programmed" to be a certain individual, and I think that happens a lot today. People are sheltered and they and they don't see the blessings that they've been given.

What about Alexia, the character you play? How would you describe her?

Hillis: When we first meet her, she is really struggling. She's just finding out that her daughter is terminal, and it's not going to get better. Alexia has never had it easy in her life; she's never had a whole lot of money. But she's been happy. And then this beautiful life, Emily, came into her world, and things were pretty good for a while—till the disease took over.

I have a feeling that Alexia's situation would have been similar to what I found in my in my research of similar situations: Everyone is there to support you in the beginning of the process of dealing with a terminal illness; everyone wants to help, to do whatever they can. But what Alexia found is that slowly but surely, people fell away. They didn't really know how to help her anymore, and maybe got tired of dealing with it. So she was left alone to deal with her daughter, and the inevitable idea that her daughter was going to pass.

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