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Grace is Gone
Directed by: James C. Strouse
Starring: John Cusack
Genre:
Drama/Independent
Run Time: 92
min.
Release Date:
December 2007
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
Looking for a good
tear-jerker? You could hardly find one better than GRACE IS GONE.
Topical. Family oriented. It is something of a surprising role for John
Cusack who started his career with low-brow comedies (BETTER OFF DEAD
and ONE CRAZY SUMMER). But this independent gem shows that Cusack
has the wherewithal to spot a solid, dramatic part and run with it.
Although Cusack has done some off-and-on stand-up work, things like
THE ICE HARVEST
and PUSHING TIN were a bit thin on character. But not so here.
And, even more surprising, the film brings two unknowns to play
alongside Cusack. The two are also very young girls who show that Dakota
Fanning (CHARLOTTE’S WEB) isn’t the only young gal who can act her heart
out. Shélan O'Keefe stars as Heidi Phillips, Stanley Phillips’ (Cusack’s)
eldest daughter and does so with astonishing ...um ...grace. Trying to
find her way into adolescence while watching her father implode is quite
nicely portrayed. Her first attempts at smoking and her nighttime
wanderings are something many parents will be able to identify with.
Stanley’s younger daughter Dawn is played by newcomer Gracie Bednarczyk,
and her portions where she’s jousting with her older sister are spot on.
Not understanding what’s happening to their family is significant in
that someone of her age truly wouldn’t know. But the suspicions of her
elder sister set her on edge ...just a tad.
Grace is Gone is a very good war film. And by war I mean a film that
focuses on its impact on the home-front. When Stanley (Cusack) learns of
his wife’s death in Iraq, it takes some mental juggling for him to come
to terms with what that means for him and his two young daughters. This
is the crux of the story. When Stanley can’t release the information to
his kids, he hides it by taking them to a fun theme park many miles
away. It seems he wants his kids to have fun before breaking the worst
news of their lives to them ...and, in a sense, re-breaking it to
himself. Stanley loses sight of what he needs to do, and even becomes a
bit delusional (he calls his own home to tell his dead-wife that he and
the kids are okay, etc.).
The gut-wrenching scene when Stanley must tell the kids what happened to
their mother is one of the hardest things any parent will ever have to
watch. The musical score comes up over the voice of Stanley and we don’t
get to hear everything he says, which we don’t need to; we can see it on
the childrens’ faces. A truly powerful moment that will linger with you
for many days, if not weeks.
It is noteworthy to mention how topical this film is since the war in
Iraq seems far from over. Men and women continue to die “over there” and
when that might end is anyone’s guess. But one thing is for certain, the
traumas felt “over there” definitely ripple “over here”. And that’s
something that this film shows us exceptionally well.
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Image from Grace is Gone
DVD cost: $17.86
Purchase:
Tower.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite? Yes.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
Grace is Gone had a
budget estimate of only $2 million.
Movie Quote: "Mr.
Philips. I regret to inform you that Seargent Grace Anne Philips was
killed on March 12th."
Other Actors/Actresses
from Grace is Gone
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