Gracie (2007)

60% of critics liked it
(93 reviews)
61% of users liked it
(149,206 ratings)

Inspired by the real-life events that followed the untimely 1988 death of William Shue (brother of cast members Elisabeth and Andrew Shue and executive producer John Shue) the feel-good sports drama Gracie unfolds in 1978 New Jersey. 15-year-old Gracie Bowen (newcomer Carly Schroeder) is still… More Inspired by the real-life events that followed the untimely 1988 death of William Shue (brother of cast members Elisabeth and Andrew Shue and executive producer John Shue) the feel-good sports drama Gracie unfolds in 1978 New Jersey. 15-year-old Gracie Bowen (newcomer Carly Schroeder) is still reeling from the passing of her brother Johnny (Jesse Lee Soffer), a star player on the high-school soccer team. When Gracie defies nearly everyone's wishes by vowing to replace Johnny under the aegis of cantankerous Coach Colasanti (John Doman), it irritates her parents (Elisabeth Shue, Dermot Mulroney) -- who encourage her to stick to activities better-suited to her gender -- and her best friend, Jena (Julia Garro), who warns her that athletic women are often considered "lesbos." The young woman persists, however, and wins the hearts of her most strident detractors, surmounting one obstacle after another and racing toward certain victory. Karen Janszen and Lisa Marie Petersen co-scripted; Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) directs, lacing the soundtrack with pop standards from that era, with Aretha Franklin's "Rock Steady" used as Gracie's training anthem. Dina Goldman created the film's meticulous 1970s production design. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 36 min.
Directed By: Davis Guggenheim
Written By: Karen Janszen, Lisa Marie Peterson
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Jun 1, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Sep 17, 2007
Studio: Picturehouse

Critic Reviews

Claudia Puig, USA Today
It's too bad that Gracie's story seems bent on staying on the surface of such familiar turf, rather than digging deeper to reveal what propels her.
Malene Arpe, Toronto Star
Ends up more like a middling after-school special than an insightful look at family dynamics.
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
[Actress Schroeder] gives Gracie a credibly rugged edge, building her into a mini-tower of blond ambition and almost rescuing the role from cliché. Almost, but not quite, not when burdened with a script so proudly rooted in uplift's trite traditions.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
It's a nice film and the Shue family, honestly, they should be proud of what they've done.
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com
Gracie is a gentle, easygoing picture -- it's not exactly dramatically gripping, but somehow, its spirit carries it through.
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
Everyone who made this movie had his or her heart in the right place, even though they got so much wrong.
Heather Boerner, Common Sense Media
Gritty girl soccer drama with a powerful message.
Kelly Vance, East Bay Express
When you wake up after napping through this earnest timewaster, you'll feel relieved, but you won't know why. Here's a clue: Gracie can't bend it.
Louise Keller, Urban Cinefile
A gutsy performance by Carly Schroeder is the high point of this likeable story about a girl with a dream
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
There are two commentaries on the DVD, one by director Davis Guggenheim, and a second by actors (and siblings) Elisabeth and Andrew Shue.
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
In addition to Carly Schroeder's performance, the highlights are its honesty, willingness to show real family struggles, and the gradual way Gracie achieves success.
Kam Williams, Sly Fox
A wholesome female empowerment adventure, and one very likely to resonate with youngsters of both sexes in the pre-teen crowd.
Kam Williams, NewsBlaze
A wholesome female empowerment adventure, and one very likely to resonate with youngsters of both sexes in the pre-teen crowd.
Mark Palermo, Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
The movie treats Gracie as a cause rather than an impassioned athlete.
Liz Braun, Jam! Movies
Bruce Springsteen has even given the film his own rare seal of approval by providing a song for the soundtrack -- something he almost never does. See that? Even the Boss likes Gracie.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
Though predictable at virtually every turn and almost relentlessly sentimental, Gracie ultimately establishes itself as a surprisingly moving and compelling story
Cynthia Fuchs, PopMatters
Lindsay suggests -- during the inevitable mother-daughter heart-to-heart -- that Gracie persist despite the many odds because Lindsay did not.
Susan Tavernetti, Palo Alto Weekly
Despite flaws, though, this stirring independent production is remarkable for its honest portrayal of a family grappling with grief and a female taking the penalty kick to score points for gender equity.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

jay n

Nothing special but not bad
Leigh R

Very interesting true back story to this film. I liked the whole girl power thing and the movie did have one scene that nearly broke my heart. It was pretty okay for what it was.
Dean M

This inspired of true one family's story is a score! This moving feel-good story is so emotionally and courage of a 15-year-old girl who vowed to replace his late brother on the high-school soccer team. I found out about this events followed the ultimely 1988 death of William… More
This inspired of true one family's story is a score! This moving feel-good story is so emotionally and courage of a 15-year-old girl who vowed to replace his late brother on the high-school soccer team. I found out about this events followed the ultimely 1988 death of William Shue, the brother of cast members Elisabeth and Andrew Shue and executive producer John Shue from <i>Who</i> magazine before watching the movie. They are fans of soccer, that's why, just like Elisabeth should be the one of Gracie's footsteps because she's the only one sister of the Shue family like in this story.
Daniel P

Not by choice: buses in Northern Ontario, you just never know what you're going to get... a great laugh due its combination of melodramatic bad lines, half-baked gender-role commentary and sports movie formula. Do not watch this film... unless you also enjoy gawking at car… More
Not by choice: buses in Northern Ontario, you just never know what you're going to get... a great laugh due its combination of melodramatic bad lines, half-baked gender-role commentary and sports movie formula. Do not watch this film... unless you also enjoy gawking at car crashes and the like...
Mark A

Barely watchable, this soap opera knows how to tug at the heartstrings, but a little too sappy for even this most sensitive male viewer. Gracie battles prejudice and neandrathal male stereotypes to win a place on the boy's soccer team at school. Nobody believes in her except for… More
Barely watchable, this soap opera knows how to tug at the heartstrings, but a little too sappy for even this most sensitive male viewer. Gracie battles prejudice and neandrathal male stereotypes to win a place on the boy's soccer team at school. Nobody believes in her except for her dead brother. Even her mom tries to lower her expectations, by encouraging her to take a bite of the sh*t sandwich that life offers young women. Some decent soccer footage, but too much like a fairy tale for this viewer. Thank God for Titile IX. One would like to think this is no longer a problem for women athletes. Don't kid yourself. Respect is hard to come by, even when it is earned.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]It is very hard to dislike a movie such as "Gracie" that has its heart so firmly in the right place and so full of good will. It takes place in South Orange, New Jersey in 1978 where Grace(Carly Schroeder) wants to honor the memory of her recently… More
[font=Century Gothic]It is very hard to dislike a movie such as "Gracie" that has its heart so firmly in the right place and so full of good will. It takes place in South Orange, New Jersey in 1978 where Grace(Carly Schroeder) wants to honor the memory of her recently deceased brother, Johnny(Jesse Lee Soffer), a high school soccer star, by making the boys' varsity soccer team to avenge one of their losses to a rival school. Hopefully helping her will be her father(Dermot Mulroney), a former collegiate soccer star himself who also trained her brother.(I think that anybody who tries to relive their failed lives through their children is perverse.) [/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]So even though the movie does make some valid points about women in sport(Where women could once only be cheerleaders, now they could compete in sports on their own terms. But surely feminism could not have been such an exotic notion in 1978.), the movie still gives into some of the hoariest cliches of the genre around. Worse still, it is immensely predictable. It is clear exactly how the movie will end once Grace makes her proclamation, even if the route might have been slightly different than expected with a couple of less than credible twists. And it is hard to believe high school soccer players would be allowed to be so very physical. Grounding the movie better in realism would have definitely helped.[/font]
Joseph E

A true inspiration. Not the greatest movie ever, but hey, True stories have a way fo swaying us, atleast more than "Munich did.(Munich sucked by the way) "Gracie" has spirit and spunk, which make this "Three stars out of Four"film work.
William G

Well-shot true-life girl's soccer tale is better than it should be.
Erin C

Very good movie! Sad beginning, but it's very inspirational, and it shows that girls can do anything!