Grace is Gone

Starring: John Cusack, Shelan O'Keefe, Gracie Bednarczyk, Alessandro Nivola
Directed by: James C. Strouse
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
2007

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: When a father (John Cusack) learns that his army wife has been killed in Iraq. He struggles with how to tell his two daughters (Shelan O'Keefe, Gracie Bednarczyk) about her death. And so, before telling them, he decides to take a trip to the Enchanted Gardens amusement park to buy some time before the difficult conversation.

Review:

Tim: I'll just start this out by saying that although Grace is Gone is a very good movie, it probably should have been much better. This is a solidly made, emotional drama. However, this film should have contended for end-of-the-year awards, and it should have won some. Instead, this movie mostly came up empty- because it's good, but it could have been great.

The reason for this movie working as well as it does is due to John Cusack. Cusack gives a quiet, remarkable performance. For a great actor who has never been nominated for an Academy Award, this was perhaps his best chance. He gives a career-defining performance, and yet, it went largely unnoticed. It is a crime that he received no nominations for anything for this role. It is perhaps the best of his career. I couldn't take my eyes off Cusack as he gave a heartbreakingly sad, ordinary man performance. I'm just frustrated he received no acclaim for such a wonderful performance.

He does have some help, in the form of his two daughters. Shelan O'Keefe and Gracie Bednarczyk are very, very good. They are believable, funny, and engaging. This movie works because of the interactions between this fractured family. Cusack gets along with both young actresses very well, and that is what propels this movie forward. They seemed like a real family, which is exactly what this movie needed, and Cusack deserves credit for achieving.

I understand why this movie was easy to overlook. It is a very small, independent movie about a topic (Iraq War) which audiences had already tired of years ago. Plus, although it was good, it is very evident that director James C. Strouse could have delivered greatness with this story. He definitely crafted an very good movie- but it just wasn't good enough.

Grace is Gone is an emotional, powerful movie. I do wish it tugged at the heartstrings just a bit more, but you will still feel emotionally drained at its conclusion. This is not an easy movie to watch, even though it does a good job of balancing out the melodrama with some lighthearted moments. This is a strong movie, and one of the better Iraq War-related movies.


Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5



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