 
Gracie
By: Team Marketing Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 18
More Information
 On: 2008-08-07
Gracie, a strong, determined, athletic 15 year old who loves soccer and is determined to play. This movie shows how the family deals with the loss of Johnney, the 17 yr old soccer star. Bryan, the father (D. Mulroney), immersed in his own grief, eventually uses his love of soccer as the only way he knows to reach his daughter, Gracie, who is starting toward destructive behavior in her efforts to deal with the loss of her brother, also her best friend. Johnney encouraged Gracie in soccer and had a lot of confidence in her skills. The movie also shows a lot about soccer skills that Gracie develops under the watchful eye of her father who becomes her coach. The whole family is involved and I enjoyed watching this movie very much.
 On: 2008-04-30
When high school soccer star Johnny Bowen is killed in a car crash, his grieving kid sister vows to keep his memory alive by taking his place on the team. But first Gracie will have to overcome the strenuous objections of both the coach and her own misogynistic father to her plan.
Although it has many of the hallmarks of a Lifetime Original Movie - souped-up gender conflict, an overdose of sentimental uplift, and a plucky, inspirational heroine at its core - "Gracie," which is set in late 1970s New Jersey, transcends many of its stereotypes and cliches through heartfelt performances, unpretentious writing and earnest direction.
Carly Schroeder has grit and charm to spare as the indomitable Gracie, while Dermot Mulroney and Elizabeth Shue acquit themselves nicely as her ultimately supportive parents.
It`s true that "Gracie" provides us with nothing we havent seen a thousand times before - from "The Karate Kid" to "Bend it With Beckham" - but inspirational-sports-movie fans should still find themselves cheering on this latest underdog story.
On: 2008-04-23
"Gracie" is not just another feel good `underdog film! It is the true story of the Shue family (Elizabeth Shue and brother, Andrew, are both in the film) that touched me more deeply once I learned this fact. A young girl is desperate for the love of her father, who dotes on his athletic boys as he coaches them to play soccer. When Gracies soccer-star brother is killed in a tragic accident, she becomes determined to try out for the boys soccer team and asks her father for help.
This is an incredible movie that will not disappoint any viewer!
 On: 2008-04-06
Gracie is a New Jersey teenager, but her problem is that she was born a girl into a family of soccer playing boys. When her naturally talented brother is killed in a car accident Gracie tries to honor his memory by wanting to try out for the Varsity high school soccer team. Unfortunately, this is 1978 and girls arent allowed to play on a boys team. Not only does she have to now fight the school board, but she has to force her he-man father to take her seriously and to train her like he does the boys. She is not accepted for this effort and takes horrible beatings in her efforts at the hands of her fellow players. The message is simple, if you want something bad enough, you will do what you have to.
On: 2008-01-19
I thought the movie "Gracie" was excellent. The movie showed how dreams in a person can inspire one to triumph over outside walls. It was truly an inspirational movie which anyone would enjoy. Carly Schroeder was excellent in the movie. Having read an interview about her, it was easy to understand why she made this movie. We need more movies like this to portray good positive images!
by: southernchelz On: 2007-12-31
Not exactly for the whole family. There are a couple of inappropriate scenes for younger children. The language is not that great either. The acting is fine and the story is good. I did think it was a bit much that none of the adult men took up for the girl when she was punched. No male would have took that from someone else but she was expected to because she was asking for it because she wanted to play with the boys!!??
It is an okay movie.
On: 2007-11-30
Awesome service as always!! Item was exactly as described and received well before the estimated date of delivery. Love purchasing DVDs from Amazon!
On: 2007-11-05
Even though I dont play soccer, Ive always been drawn to the soccer girl movies. This one captured my attention. At the beginning of the movie, you get a feeling that youre going to be a bit bored. At first, I thought I could always predict the next move.
But I was wrong. When you expect her to be great, she fails a bit. I liked that, because in every soccer movie you see the player is randomly great. But in this one, although she has some talent, she has toi work for a long time before shes great.
The ending was just right. And the cast was nice. Whoever played Gracie was good. Her friend was well casted also. I wish we could have seen more of her brothers. I also like that they made her girlie, and rebellious.
On: 2007-11-04
Overall this is a great family movie. I really enjoyed it, and consider it to be one of my personal favorites.
On: 2007-10-30
Prior reviews have given a good synopsis of this film, so I will not repeat the plot. As the father of a daughter, I am always looking for the kind of film that matter-of-factly informs girls that, through desire and plain hard work, you can achieve your goals. That is a common, obvious message, but ask yourself how many movies are delivering that message to girls without also referring, whether overtly or by implication, to appearance and sexuality. The universe of those films is tiny. Well, finally, here is one!! Unfortunately, this movie was marketed poorly and did not do well at the box office. That does not mean, however, that it should die on the vine as a dvd. If you think a simple positive message of grit and determination for girls is worthy of wide distribution, then its going to take word of mouth to do it, because clearly the studios dont care. Spread the word about Gracie!!
by: bekintex On: 2007-10-27
After her brother dies having not made the decisive kick in a soccer game against their schools arch rival, Gracie determines to join the boys team and win one for her brother. She has to prove herself with literally everyone from her parents, the coach and other players, to the school board.
"Gracie" is not just good general family fare, its a film for every young girl in athletics to see just how far womens sports have come.
On: 2007-10-26
After her brother dies having not made the decisive kick in a soccer game against their schools arch rival, Gracie determines to join the boys team and win one for her brother. She has to prove herself with literally everyone from her parents, the coach and other players, to the school board.
"Gracie" is not just good general family fare, its a film for every young girl in athletics to see just how far womens sports have come.
by: mbmbuff On: 2007-10-11
One of my favorite sports movies is "Bend It Like Beckham". I was attracted to this movie because it is supposed to be similar to "Bend It Like Beckham". This movie is a lot more realistic and has more believable characters. Carly Schroeder does a great job of portraying Gracie, the 15 year old girl who displays a fierce determination of making the boys varsity soccer team (Columbia team) and of replacing her beloved older brother Johnny in winning a game against the arch-rival Kingston team.
This movie is inspired and based on the real-life events of the Shue family (Elizabeth Shue and her older brother Andrew Shue, both of whom grew up loving soccer). Andrew Shue is the real-life "Johnny" who always looked after kid-sister "Elizabeth". Director Davis Guggenheim is Elizabeth Shues husband. So this movie is put together by the Shue family and it deals with a family that struggles to hold on after the tragic loss of their son, Johnny, who was a great soccer player for the boys varsity team. The Shue family did a great job of putting together this movie about families.
Other reviewers have done a great job of summarizing the story so I wont repeat that. As noted by other reviewers, this is a very familiar sports movie that has been done to death. The girl makes the boys team, the team plays in a big championship, and guess who carries the day? Youve seen it before a number of times (Bend It Like Beckham, Remember the Titans, Hoosiers, etc.) What I wanted to comment on is the rich character development and the focus on relationships.
1) This movie is centered upon the relationship between Gracie and her dad (played by Dermot Mulroney). Gracie struggles so much to gain the attention and affection of her dad, and is hurt so deeply when she senses that her father doesnt trust in her ability to make the boys team. Gracie acts out in rebellious ways and starts to fail in her classes, until her dad comes to the rescue and shows her genuine love and attention. He finally agrees to train her for making the team. Dermot Mulroney (who actually plays soccer) does a great job of conveying gruffness with tender care and affection. As Gracies dad, he doesnt want her to get hurt both physically and emotionally. He is trying his best to protect his only daughter.
I thought the relationship and bond between daughter and father was the most touching element in this movie. Also touching was the tender affection between the older brother Johnny and Gracie. Johnny is the only guys who totally believes in Gracie and encourages her to pursue her dreams and develop her abilities.
2) The film also portrays Gracies need to prove herself in a family that respects boys rather than girls. At the dinner table, she has to endure constant verbal jabs that belittle the feminine race. Girls are not supposed to pursue their dreams but guys can. Girls cant do this but guys can. Gracie resents that and wants to do what no other girl is able to do. Carly does a great job of portraying Gracie as a girl who is vulnerable yet displays great inner strength, perseverance, and determination. We see both aspects of her personality.
3) Gracies need to prove herself and make it in the boys team is her way of dealing with her grief over the loss of her beloved brother. She believes that the way to pay her respects to her brother is by making the team and achieving the victory that her brother was not able to achieve before his departure.
4) As Gracie trains with her dad (who finally agrees to train with her) and she works out in the gym before class, in the try-outs, and late at night, she gains the respect of her dad, the soccer coach, and even the skeptical guys on the soccer team. It was great to see this development. Carly Schroeder had to train hard to tone her soccer skills, and she is totally believable in the role.
There are a couple of interesting commentaries (a feature commentary by David Guggenheim, and one with Elizabeth & Andrew Shue). There is also a making of the film documentary, which interviews the cast and directors.
I was very pleased with this movie. "Bend It Like Beckham" is a funny movie about an Indian girl who wants to be a soccer star, against the wishes of her family. "Gracie" is a much more believable and realistic movie of a girl who is determined to pursue her dreams and go where no female teen has gone before, in the world of soccer.
I also really liked the soundtrack which features hit songs in 1978, from groups such as Boston ("Dont Look Back"), Sweet ("Fox on the Run"), Roberta Flack ("The Closer I Get to You"), etc.
Incidentally, in 1978, Mia Hamm (the womens champion soccer player) was only 8 years old at the time. Look where she is now.
by: mbmbuff On: 2007-10-10
One of my favorite sports movies is "Bend It Like Beckham". I was attracted to this movie because it is supposed to be similar to "Bend It Like Beckham". This movie is a lot more realistic and has more believable characters. Carly Schroeder does a great job of portraying Gracie, the 15 year old girl who displays a fierce determination of making the boys varsity soccer team (Columbia team) and of replacing her beloved older brother Johnny in winning a game against the arch-rival Kingston team.
This movie is inspired and based on the real-life events of the Shue family (Elizabeth Shue and her older brother Andrew Shue, both of whom grew up loving soccer). Andrew Shue is the real-life "Johnny" who always looked after kid-sister "Elizabeth". Director Davis Guggenheim is Elizabeth Shues husband. So this movie is put together by the Shue family and it deals with a family that struggles to hold on after the tragic loss of their son, Johnny, who was a great soccer player for the boys varsity team. The Shue family did a great job of putting together this movie about families.
Other reviewers have done a great job of summarizing the story so I wont repeat that. As noted by other reviewers, this is a very familiar sports movie that has been done to death. The girl makes the boys team, the team plays in a big championship, and guess who carries the day? Youve seen it before a number of times (Bend It Like Beckham, Remember the Titans, Hoosiers, etc.) What I wanted to comment on is the rich character development and the focus on relationships.
1) This movie is centered upon the relationship between Gracie and her dad (played by Dermot Mulroney). Gracie struggles so much to gain the attention and affection of her dad, and is hurt so deeply when she senses that her father doesnt trust in her ability to make the boys team. Gracie acts out in rebellious ways and starts to fail in her classes, until her dad comes to the rescue and shows her genuine love and attention. He finally agrees to train her for making the team. Dermot Mulroney (who actually plays soccer) does a great job of conveying gruffness with tender care and affection. As Gracies dad, he doesnt want her to get hurt both physically and emotionally. He is trying his best to protect his only daughter.
I thought the relationship and bond between daughter and father was the most touching element in this movie. Also touching was the tender affection between the older brother Johnny and Gracie. Johnny is the only guys who totally believes in Gracie and encourages her to pursue her dreams and develop her abilities.
2) The film also portrays Gracies need to prove herself in a family that respects boys rather than girls. At the dinner table, she has to endure constant verbal jabs that belittle the feminine race. Girls are not supposed to pursue their dreams but guys can. Girls cant do this but guys can. Gracie resents that and wants to do what no other girl is able to do. Carly does a great job of portraying Gracie as a girl who is vulnerable yet displays great inner strength, perseverance, and determination. We see both aspects of her personality.
3) Gracies need to prove herself and make it in the boys team is her way of dealing with her grief over the loss of her beloved brother. She believes that the way to pay her respects to her brother is by making the team and achieving the victory that her brother was not able to achieve before his departure.
4) As Gracie trains with her dad (who finally agrees to train with her) and she works out in the gym before class, in the try-outs, and late at night, she gains the respect of her dad, the soccer coach, and even the skeptical guys on the soccer team. It was great to see this development. Carly Schroeder had to train hard to tone her soccer skills, and she is totally believable in the role.
There are a couple of interesting commentaries (a feature commentary by David Guggenheim, and one with Elizabeth & Andrew Shue). There is also a making of the film documentary, which interviews the cast and directors.
I was very pleased with this movie. "Bend It Like Beckham" is a funny movie about an Indian girl who wants to be a soccer star, against the wishes of her family. "Gracie" is a much more believable and realistic movie of a girl who is determined to pursue her dreams and go where no female teen has gone before, in the world of soccer.
I also really liked the soundtrack which features hit songs in 1978, from groups such as Boston ("Dont Look Back"), Sweet ("Fox on the Run"), Roberta Flack ("The Closer I Get to You"), etc.
Incidentally, in 1978, Mia Hamm (the womens champion soccer player) was only 8 years old at the time. Look where she is now.
by: drbernabo On: 2007-09-30
It might not be clear until the end credits (or even until you check out the DVD extras), but "Gracie" is a Shue Family project. That would be the Shues as in Elizabeth Shue (who in my minds eye is always the hot chick sitting on the hood of a car in the credits for "Call to Glory," even with the Oscar nomination for "Leaving Las Vegas," although my kids all know her from "Adventures in Babysitting"), her brother Andrew Shue, who is also an actor, and her husband Davis Guggenheim (Oscar winner as the director of Al Gores "An Inconvenient Truth"). The last two, along with Ken Himmelman, came up with this soccer story, and the Shue siblings both plays roles in "Gracie," as the mother and the assistant coach respectively. One of the characters is based on their brother, William, who died in his twenties, but the story is by no means autobiographical in any meaningful sense of the word. Instead it is inspired by the love of the Shue family for the game of soccer.
That being said and adding that Dermot Mulroney plays the family, it is Carly Schroeder as the title character who makes this movie worth watching. Gracie Bowen is the only daughter in a family where the dad loves soccer and his idea of parenting is to coach his boys to be great soccer players. Her older brother Johnny (Jesse Lee Soffer) is a high school soccer star, but who always has time for his adoring sister. After the big game, Johnny is killed in a car accident that devastates Grace and her family. When she stops crying, Grace comes out of her bedroom and announces that she is going to play varsity soccer at the high school and help them win the big game next year. Her other brothers laugh at the idea and her father immediately teaches Grace a harsh lesson about how impossible this particular dream happens to be. Denied her dream and having essentially lost her father as well as her brother because of the accident, Grace starts to put herself at risk.
"Gracie" is supposed to be an inspirational movie, with Graces efforts to play soccer being put in the context of Title IX and the revolutionary effect it had on womens sports in general and womens soccer in particular (which makes it ironic that the American team just lost in the semi-finals of the World Championship this week). But Grace is not trying to prove a point about women playing sports; she is trying to heal after a devastating loss. She does not care that her father disapproves, that the guys on the team do not want her, and that she will be considered a dyke for wanting to play. In her grief she decides this is what she needs to do to be whole again, and she does what it takes to do it. As Gracie, Schroeder pulls this off by playing it straight down the middle, by which I mean that she is neither an actual tomboy nor a potential prom queen. She is a very determined young girl, who is going to cry when she gets decked until she finally reaches the point where there are no tears left.
If we use the original "Rocky" as a reference point for films having to do with athletic training, then what you see in "Gracie" reminds me more of the first time Rocky gets up to run in the morning, when the point is how brutally hard it is to do this kind of thing. I find it key that throughout the training sequences composer Mark Isham (who also did the score for "Invincible"), never goes for the uplifting theme music ala Bill Conti. What Gracie is trying to do requires hard work and that is communicated. It is also emotionally draining, which Schroeder communicates wonderfully when we get to the climactic big game. I love her reactions to the multiple big moments that happen during the finale, and the way that the big game is both choreographed and shot. It might seem paradoxical to say this 2007 film is moving without being inspirational, but that simply reflects the fact that I see "Gracie" as being about the struggle of a young girl to make herself whole again and not as striking a blow for sports equity.
On: 2007-09-29
It might not be clear until the end credits (or even until you check out the DVD extras), but "Gracie" is a Shue Family project. That would be the Shues as in Elizabeth Shue (who in my minds eye is always the hot chick sitting on the hood of a car in the credits for "Call to Glory," even with the Oscar nomination for "Leaving Las Vegas," although my kids all know her from "Adventures in Babysitting"), her brother Andrew Shue, who is also an actor, and her husband Davis Guggenheim (Oscar winner as the director of Al Gores "An Inconvenient Truth"). The last two, along with Ken Himmelman, came up with this soccer story, and the Shue siblings both plays roles in "Gracie," as the mother and the assistant coach respectively. One of the characters is based on their brother, William, who died in his twenties, but the story is by no means autobiographical in any meaningful sense of the word. Instead it is inspired by the love of the Shue family for the game of soccer.
That being said and adding that Dermot Mulroney plays the family, it is Carly Schroeder as the title character who makes this movie worth watching. Gracie Bowen is the only daughter in a family where the dad loves soccer and his idea of parenting is to coach his boys to be great soccer players. Her older brother Johnny (Jesse Lee Soffer) is a high school soccer star, but who always has time for his adoring sister. After the big game, Johnny is killed in a car accident that devastates Grace and her family. When she stops crying, Grace comes out of her bedroom and announces that she is going to play varsity soccer at the high school and help them win the big game next year. Her other brothers laugh at the idea and her father immediately teaches Grace a harsh lesson about how impossible this particular dream happens to be. Denied her dream and having essentially lost her father as well as her brother because of the accident, Grace starts to put herself at risk.
"Gracie" is supposed to be an inspirational movie, with Graces efforts to play soccer being put in the context of Title IX and the revolutionary effect it had on womens sports in general and womens soccer in particular (which makes it ironic that the American team just lost in the semi-finals of the World Championship this week). But Grace is not trying to prove a point about women playing sports; she is trying to heal after a devastating loss. She does not care that her father disapproves, that the guys on the team do not want her, and that she will be considered a dyke for wanting to play. In her grief she decides this is what she needs to do to be whole again, and she does what it takes to do it. As Gracie, Schroeder pulls this off by playing it straight down the middle, by which I mean that she is neither an actual tomboy nor a potential prom queen. She is a very determined young girl, who is going to cry when she gets decked until she finally reaches the point where there are no tears left.
If we use the original "Rocky" as a reference point for films having to do with athletic training, then what you see in "Gracie" reminds me more of the first time Rocky gets up to run in the morning, when the point is how brutally hard it is to do this kind of thing. I find it key that throughout the training sequences composer Mark Isham (who also did the score for "Invincible"), never goes for the uplifting theme music ala Bill Conti. What Gracie is trying to do requires hard work and that is communicated. It is also emotionally draining, which Schroeder communicates wonderfully when we get to the climactic big game. I love her reactions to the multiple big moments that happen during the finale, and the way that the big game is both choreographed and shot. It might seem paradoxical to say this 2007 film is moving without being inspirational, but that simply reflects the fact that I see "Gracie" as being about the struggle of a young girl to make herself whole again and not as striking a blow for sports equity.
On: 2007-09-23
Synopsis: After the tragic death of her older brother fifteen-year old Gracie (Carly Schroeder) decides she wants to make the boys high school soccer team as he had. With the town, the team and even her own family against the idea of a girl playing on a boys team she finally convinces them all of her passion and fire to compete and gets her chance to show everyone what shes capable of.
Critique: The 07 release Gracie is one of those feel good sports movies about an underdog triumphing over seemingly insurmountable odds to win the day on and off the field of play. Reminiscent of a Disney or Hallmark production the film follows a tried and proven formula that weve all seen many times. However its quite well done, Carly Schroeder delivers an engaging performance and the contemporary soundtrack is infectious. All and all Gracie is a film that will provide positive and enjoyable family entertainment for one and all.
My Rating: -4 Stars-.
On: 2007-09-22
Synopsis: After the tragic death of her older brother fifteen-year old Gracie (Carly Schroeder) decides she wants to make the boys high school soccer team as he had. With the town, the team and even her own family against the idea of a girl playing on a boys team she finally convinces them all of her passion and fire to compete and gets her chance to show everyone what shes capable of.
Critique: The 07 release Gracie is one of those feel good sports movies about an underdog triumphing over seemingly insurmountable odds to win the day on and off the field of play. Reminiscent of a Disney or Hallmark production the film follows a tried and proven formula that weve all seen many times. However its quite well done, Carly Schroeder delivers an engaging performance and the contemporary soundtrack is infectious. All and all Gracie is a film that will provide positive and enjoyable family entertainment for one and all.
My Rating: -4 Stars-.
On: 2007-09-21
"Gracie" is a young woman who battles social conventions to achieve her dream of playing varsity soccer. Actress Elizabeth Shue and her brother Andrew were inspired by their own competitive, soccer-obsessed family to co-write and produce the film. Elizabeth Shues husband Davis Guggenheim directs. Many details of family life were taken from or inspired by the Shue family. They put a lot of themselves into this film, which is dedicated to their brother Will Shue. But the storyline itself is fictitious and, I suppose, meant to comment on the personal power of sports and the foolishness of letting others define your limitations.
Its 1978 in South Orange, New Jersey, and the Bowen family is preoccupied with soccer, as always. Bryan Bowen (Dermot Mulroney) was a star player in his youth and has infected his entire family with enthusiasm for the sport. After a family tragedy, teenaged daughter Gracie (Carly Schroeder) pours her grief into training and is determined to play on her high schools varsity soccer team next year, which is a mens team. Discouraged by her fathers indifference and the ridicule of other players, Gracie finds more rebellious outlets for her feelings. -Until her parents encourage her to petition the school board for the opportunity to try out for the team.
"Gracie" is pleasant enough, even though Ive seen this story countless times before. But the father-daughter relationship and Gracies arc feel contrived. The coachs actions and the macho fathers casual presumption that his wife will support the family are just not credible. Gracies dialogue is smarter than she actually seems to be and therefore unnatural. I like "Gracie" more as a 1970s nostalgia film than as a sports movie or a feminist film. The material from the Shues life is authentic and interesting enough, but this script is lousy. "Gracie" is mildly entertaining but neither the plot nor characters hold up to scrutiny.
The DVD (New Line 2007): Widescreen and full screen versions are on the same disc. Bonus features are a theatrical trailer, 2 audio commentaries, and a featurette called "Bringing Gracie to Film" (27 min). This interviews Andrew and Elizabeth Shue, Davis Guggenheim, the cast, and others about developing the story from the Shues family life, casting, working with family, and filming soccer. The 1st audio commentary is by director Davis Guggenheim, who talks about the details taken from his wifes family, locations, themes, the characters experiences, his decisions and intentions. The 2nd audio commentary is by Andrew and Elizabeth Shue, who compare their experiences and traditions with those represented in the film, and talk about characters, real locations, and shooting the film.
On: 2007-08-13
I know what you are probably thinking. Youre thinking something like, "Oh, Great! Just what we dont need. Another underdog sports movie!" Well, before dismissing this film as such, you might want to watch it really carefully and take some time out to think about a few things. The heart that Gracie displays in this film is something that every youth needs to see, and exhibit, today, especially in light of how "lazy" todays youth seem to be. Especially with how they seem to expect to have everything handed to them on a silver platter. Well, Im sorry to report on the reality, but victory does not come this way. It only comes with determination and perseverence, which Gracie demonstrated to the maximum degree. This film also made me realize that both women and minorities have absolutely NOTHING to complain about in todays world. What Gracie faced in 1978 was REAL sexism and descrimination. Hey, Im a guy and I thought it completely unfair the way she was treated and I was rooting for her all the way!
This film also reminded me of "Invincible", about the true story of Vince Papale who, although being up in years, got a chance to play for the Philadelphia Eagles. After viewing both "Gracie" and "Invincible", Im left to thinking that there is not a coach or recruiter alive today that would not give their arm and leg for players like Gracie Bowen and Vince Papale--players who have HEART and really LOVE the game they play, and are not just a couple of posers who are just in it for the money and fame.
Bottom line is, I highly recommend this film. The acting is convincing and the story is very inspiring. Well worth at least one viewing
On: 2007-07-24
The fact that this quiet yet beautiful gem of a film was released on the same weekend as the summer blockbuster "Knocked Up" may give some indication as to why it came and went relatively quickly in the theaters. Still, if you saw the previews for this and/or went to see it when it came out, chances are you agree that it was an impressively well-told story of courage, redemption, and the realization that life simply is never perfect, regardless of how much effort is put forth.
Contemporary sport films have become a distinctive genre that is all their own, and simply seeing the poster for this film may instantly suggest something about defying the odds, standing up against adversity, and meeting with huge successes that are the result of hard work. Isnt that, after all, the general formula of many of the inspirational sports movies that are out there?
However, while "Gracie" emphasizes all those things and efficiently plays out those typical messages, there is something much stronger that makes this film worth your time. It is loosely based on true-life events of actress Elisabeth Shue, who made a name for herself with the 1980s hit "Misadventures in Babysitting." Beyond her acting career, though, there is a story of her childhood that is carried through the character of Gracie Bowens, a teenager who is growing up with a slew of soccer-playing brothers. You can sense immediately that she is struggling with feelings of inadequacy as she fights to be part of the family athleticism, but when a jarring tragedy strikes with her oldest brother, so begins her journey toward making a difference and taking his spot on the varsity soccer team. Gracie knows she cannot take this on without her fathers consent in training her--a tall order that creates several barriers against her, even with her own parents. If theres anything that this movie strives for most, its the sobering honesty of the families, schools, and communities that are not always supportive of what certain people deem as valuable.
Perhaps the single factor that drew me in the most about this film was the execution of Gracies rebellion early in the plot. In an attempt to curb the pain of her familys loss and cope with Dads rejection, the young girl compensates with alcohol, skimpy outfits, and flings with guys that go well beyond first base. The scenes were so thoughtfully done, and there was a certain authenticity with how a 15-year-old girl in that situation would be feeling and reacting. Though its clear that her fathers attentiveness would be the one thing to pull her away from his danger, the entire issue is proof of the theory that involvement in sports affords young people the discipline to stay out of trouble.
Beyond this, the theme of "Gracie" basically focuses on the price we pay for pursuing a far-fetched dream (and lets face it, its not usually a cheap deal). Our heroine is a girl who obviously has the passion and grit to do well, but it is hardly a smooth road, and much of the film focuses less on the glory and more on how much this young lady must do every single day to have a shot at what she is doing. Even when she manages to earn the opportunity to try out for the guys team, the male world of soccer is not exactly kind to the likes of a girl trying to ease her way in. Viewers will find themselves searching hard for a moment during which they can share in celebrating Gracies success, but the truth is, the films plot makes it as tough for us as they do for the main character. The ending is enough to generate a smile without feeling that the story went too far with the saccharine and unrealistic, and to me, that is the mark of a unique, credible movie.
If you did not get to catch this film when it was originally released in theaters, I hope you will get your family together to watch it when it arrives on DVD in September. Aside from a solid script that has something important to say for anyone who watches, it is filled with strong, hard-fought performances from the entire cast. Carly Schroeder has the ideal "athletic beauty" combination that film critics have been talking about regarding her performance, and though she is a relative newcomer, she lends all the right elements to this role and indicates a promising future career in the Hollywood business. As Gracie, she is a bag of bolts, a fighting spirit, and while she thrives under her fathers careful guidance, the real test comes when it is time to get out there and show everyone if she can do it. The way Schroeder executes it is brilliant, and theres no doubt that the casting crew got it just right when they chose her. Dermot Mulroney is terrific as always, delivering big as a grieving and conflicted father. His love for his little girl--his only daughter--is never questioned, but his hesitation in helping her realize her biggest goal involves far more intense factors, especially in a society where female prejudice is still a major issue. Elisabeth Shue--who is, again, the inspiration for the title character--steps in as Gracies patient mother. Always hopeful, yet never afraid to come forward with the truth, it is an all-around enjoyable film that seeks to inspire in its own way.
On: 2007-06-06
I know what you are probably thinking. Youre thinking something like, "Oh, Great! Just what we dont need. Another underdog sports movie!" Well, before dismissing this film as such, you might want to watch it really carefully and take some time out to think about a few things. The heart that Gracie displays in this film is something that every youth needs to see, and exhibit, today, especially in light of how "lazy" todays youth seem to be. Especially with how they seem to expect to have everything handed to them on a silver platter. Well, Im sorry to report on the reality, but victory does not come this way. It only comes with determination and perseverence, which Gracie demonstrated to the maximum degree. This film also made me realize that both women and minorities have absolutely NOTHING to complain about in todays world. What Gracie faced in 1978 was REAL sexism and descrimination. Hey, Im a guy and I thought it completely unfair the way she was treated and I was rooting for her all the way!
This film also reminded me of "Invincible", about the true story of Vince Papale who, although being up in years, got a chance to play for the Philadelphia Eagles. After viewing both "Gracie" and "Invincible", Im left to thinking that there is not a coach or recruiter alive today that would not give their arm and leg for players like Gracie Bowen and Vince Papale--players who have HEART and really LOVE the game they play, and are not just a couple of posers who are just in it for the money and fame.
Bottom line is, I highly recommend this film. The acting is convincing and the story is very inspiring. Well worth at least one viewing.
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