GRACIE clearly was made with affection and was meant to serve as an inspirational story, but the reliance on trite and overused images undercuts its message.
Comment
05/31/07
Gracie (2007)
59
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:88
Fresh:52
Rotten:36
Average Rating:5.8/10
Consensus: Gracie can be rousing and touching in spots, but is ultimately undone by its predictable story arc and a lack of nuance.
Runtime: 2 hrs 35 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Set in 1978, Gracie is an inspirational film about a teenage girl who overcomes the loss of her brother and fights the odds to achieve her dream of playing competitive soccer at a time when girls’... [More]
Starring: Carly Schroeder, Dermot Mulroney, Elisabeth Shue, Andrew Shue
Director: Davis Guggenheim
Reviews for Gracie
While it may not be quite as memorable as such classic sports films as Hoosiers, Rocky and The Natural, it does have a worthwhile girl-power message and an appealing cast, along with a fairly satisfying emotional climax.
05/31/07
In the annals of sports flicks of the twenty-first century, Gracie eclipses practically all of them.
05/31/07
Only auds not exposed to similar inspirational sports scenarios will doubt for a second that she'll eventually succeed.
05/31/07
Top CriticGracie is an engaging sports drama about a girl, a soccer ball and a family lost in grief.
05/31/07
Heavy on hokum but easy to like, thanks to the spunky Schroeder.
05/31/07
[Director] Guggenheim doesn't bring much visual style to the game. But he brings heart (and some Bruce Springsteen on the soundtrack) to the story of a lost Jersey girl redeemed by sport. Yeah, I cried. And cheered. You will too.
05/31/07
...wouldn't know a nuance if one hit it in the face.
05/31/07
The genuine sense of loss and nicely observed family details don't stand a chance against the generic buildup to the big game.
05/31/07
There's nothing startling about Gracie per se, but it manages to do formula without becoming too formulaic, be a feel-good flick without being feel-good gooey.
05/31/07
There's a reason the underdog sports formula is followed over and over: When it's executed as skillfully as it is here, the damned thing works every time.
05/31/07
Disintegrates into movie-of-the-week predictability.
05/31/07
Gracie is painless enough and, at times, even enjoyable. But it suffers from an overriding feeling that this would be better positioned as a made-for-TV feature.
05/31/07
Gracie does hold you, in its oversimplified and sentimental way, and it deals with a real issue in semi-real fashion -- half-Hollywood, half-actual life, or something like it.
05/31/07
Who could possibly be interested in a movie about decent, recognizably human creatures dealing with believable problems and discovering within themselves the capacity to be better people?
05/31/07
If you competed in high school athletics, you might be able to overlook that Gracie is just another formulaic, if well-intentioned, sports movie.
05/31/07
Between the schmaltzy messages about family and the super-sweet on-field heroics, this is cheese washed down with syrup. Yuck.
05/31/07
Gracie is no failure, but its mishmash of sports tropes and melodrama doesn't satisfy the way it could have.
05/31/07
Gracie is a rousing sports film that ultimately earns that lump in your throat.
05/30/07
Predictable and cliched. ... The last time this movie was made, it was called Bend It Like Beckham, and it was a lot more enjoyable and genuine.
05/30/07
Latest News for Gracie
September 20, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: Jovovich vs. Alba in Multiplex Mayhem
Jodie Foster will find herself in the middle of a catfight over the number one spot this weekend. The star of current chart-topper The Brave One will face challenges from Milla... More...
June 03, 2007:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: "Pirates" #1, "Knocked Up" Strong #2
Disney still claimed the most popular film in the land with "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" despite a drop that was sizable even by tentpole standards.... More...
May 31, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: "Knocked Up" Expecting Solid Arrival
Call it the weekend of the actor/producer. Three new films with stars that do double duty behind the scenes (or have good agents that can snag a free credit) enter a marketplace... More...
May 31, 2007:
Critical Consensus: "Knocked Up" Is A Knockout; "Mr. Brooks," "Gracie" Less So
This week at the movies we've got matters of life ("Knocked Up," starring Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen), death ("Mr. Brooks," starring Kevin Costner and... More...
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