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Grace is Gone 9 out of 10 Posted: 07/16/08
Running time: 1:25 MPAA rating: PG-13 for thematic material, brief strong language and teen smoking. Peruvian rating: Mayores de 14
Cast:
John Cusack, Shelan O'Keefe, Gracie Bednarczyk, Alessandro Nivola.
Photography: Jean-Louise Bompoint
Score:
Clint Eastwood |
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Grace is Gone is a nice little film. You have to consider the fact, though, that by describing it as “nice”, I’m not saying it’s a feel-good or optimistic movie. On the contrary, Grace is Gone is a bit of a downer, but that’s precisely one of its assets. Being used to watching manipulative, over-the-top melodramas, I was surprised by James C. Strouse’s feature debut because: a.) it’s more honest than half the “so-called” dramas out there, and because b.) performances, especially John Cusack’s are amazing. Grace is Gone isn’t the kind of film that will break box office records or win a ton of Academy Awards (it had a pretty quiet theatrical release, actually), so I’m sure many people haven’t seen it. Well, it’s a pity, because John Cusack’s latest drama is a mature and emotionally compelling motion picture, a rare kind of movie: one that doesn’t try too hard to make viewers cry.
The film tells the story of Stanley Phillips (Cusack), a manager at a mega-store. He actually wants to be in the army, but remained in the job for little to no time because of his vision problems. He has two daughters: 12-year old Heidi (Shelan O'Keefe) and her 8-year old Dawn (Gracie Bednarczyk). Meanwhile, her wife, Grace, is fighting in Iraq, something he’d want to do. Then, one morning, there's a knock at the door. Stanley opens it and sees two uniformed men. They give him horrible news: her wife was killed in combat, and Stanley is devastated. What is worse: he isn’t able to tell her daughters the awful news, so instead he decides to take them to a spontaneous trip from Minnesota to Florida, the place where they favorite amusements park is. But when does he plan to tell his daughters the truth? Is he trying to delay the inevitable revelation?
Performances are what make Grace is Gone succeed so beautifully. I’ve always had a thing for John Cusack – it’s not exactly a man-crush or anything like that, it’s only that I’ve always admired him as an actor. He’s more versatile than most Hollywood thespians nowadays, and in the film, he has proved that he can give an extraordinary dramatic performance. He’s not good because he goes over-the-top or because he manages to convincingly shout and cry like hell (if the filmmakers had wanted that, they would’ve hired Al Pacino). No, he’s good because he manages to give a nice, quiet performance, and to convey what the character is actually sensing: he’s repressing his feelings for the death of his wife, and doesn’t know how to react to it. It’s a powerful, subdued performance, and one that works beautifully in the context of the film.
Secondary performances are perfect too. Newcomers Shelan O'Keefe and Gracie Bednarczyk are amazing as Stanley’s daughters. The former is given more development than the latter (maybe it’s got to do with the fact that she’s older – it’s kinda hard to develop an 8-year old); she tries to smoke for the first time and suspects some is going on with his dad, while the latter just believes everything he tells them and pretty much behaves like a normal kid of her age; she’s never annoying. The other major player is Alessandro Nivola (the Goal! movies), and although he isn’t given too much screentime, he’s nevertheless really good at playing the part of Stanley’s brother. Even though he’s basically the opposite of him, they nevertheless love each other, although some of the influence he has on the girls during the movie’s middle section is something Stanley would never approve.
Grace is Gone is also a great film because of the subject matter. This is character study about Stanley, the way he tries to cope with his wife’s death, the way he tries to explore his feelings, and the way he treats the girls after he’s given the news. His daughters are excited about the trip, which, unfortunately, is a bit gloom and depressing. And the park they finally arrive at is not the perfect “happy” place: they stay there for about an afternoon, and then go back. Was it really worth all the effort to arrive at such a place? Was the trip really a journey for the girls, or a journey for Stanley to explore his own feelings? The film’s climax, which involves the man telling his daughters the truth, is as touching as it is honest and yes, it made me cry.
I was surprised by Grace is Gone. Since I knew little about the film before seeing it, I didn’t know what to expect from it, but I was pleasantly surprised by the final product. It might not be perfect – the middle section may be a little too slow for some impatient viewers – but for those people who enjoy really compelling character studies and dramas that don’t force the more sentimental aspects of the story, this film is perfect. John Cusack’s performance is amazing, and the movie as a whole is remarkable because it’s honest, and because it treats the subject matter with care and dedication. Grace is Gone is a rare drama because it doesn’t force the viewers to make them cry, but ultimately manages to do it because it is honest, and because it tells its story in an amazingly compelling and touching fashion.
©2008 Sebastián Zavala - GG site