The Grace Card (2011)

35% of critics liked it
(26 reviews)
83% of users liked it
(3,175 ratings)

This earnest evangelical drama draws inspiration from the Bible verse Hebrews 4:16 ("We will find grace to help us when we need it") in its tale of a police officer named Bill "Mac" McDonald (Michael Joiner) whose life is shattered (and his faith severely challenged) when he loses his son in a… More This earnest evangelical drama draws inspiration from the Bible verse Hebrews 4:16 ("We will find grace to help us when we need it") in its tale of a police officer named Bill "Mac" McDonald (Michael Joiner) whose life is shattered (and his faith severely challenged) when he loses his son in a tragic accident. Eighteen years of rage and hostility ensue, marked by rapidly crumbling relationships with his family members and strained relationships on the force. Events reach a fever pitch, however, when Mac gets partnered up in the squad car with Sam Wright (Michael Higgenbottom), an African-American ordained minister-turned-cop with a loving and supportive family. Despite the many obstacles standing in the way, the men gradually work toward overcoming their differences and helping one another. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 41 min.
Directed By: David G. Evans
Written By: Howard Klausner
Genres: Drama, Faith & Spirituality

In Theaters: Feb 25, 2011 Limited
On DVD: Aug 16, 2011
Studio: Samuel Goldwyn Films

Critic Reviews

Tom Long, Detroit News
As stiff as it is sincere.
Kate Shellnut, Houston Chronicle
Movie goers likely will look over The Grace Card's entertainment value to focus on this simple prescription for how to gracefully love your neighbor.
Joe Leydon, Variety
Blessed with fine performances, credible dialogue and slick production values that belie a reportedly paltry budget, The Grace Card ranks among the better religious-themed indies released in recent years.
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
Despite its lapse into melodrama, this faith-based drama is surprisingly effective.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
It's OK to put out a movie with a message. But rendering even potentially dramatic stories so inoffensive that they bear no relation to reality makes for middling drama.
Sean O'Connell, Washington Post
"The Grace Card" is a Christian drama about a racist cop and his gospel-preaching partner who . . . hey, wait a second. Where are you going?
Kam Williams, NewsBlaze
A modern morality play serving as a telling reminder about the real meaning of forgiveness.
Mike Scott, Times-Picayune
Dragged down by earnest but amateurish performances and an overall Afterschool Special vibe
Jackie K. Cooper, jackiekcooper.com
Not up to the level of "Facing the Giants" or "Fireproof" but a pretty amazing first try
Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru
A heartfelt and inspirational drama about the healing power of grace, reconciliation and forgiveness.
Keith Cohen, Entertainment Spectrum
This passionate faith-based movie offers moral encouragement and gives people an altruistic goal worth achieving. It deserves to be ranked alongside similar message-driven movies as "Facing the Giants" and "Fireproof."
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
...not so much a bad movie as a timid one, in that it fails to fulfill the potential of its honestly not bad script, which raises some difficult questions ... and its denouement, however predictable, is genuinely moving.
Kam Williams, TheLoop21.com
A modern morality play offering a satisfying reminder about the real meaning of forgiveness.
Robert W. Butler, Kansas City Star
This effort from writer/director David G. Evans gets points for soft-peddling dogma in favor of human stories. And the film benefits from a compelling performance by Michael Joiner, a Kansas City-based stand-up comic who provides a watchable center.
Todd Hertz, Christianity Today
The film is powerful when operating on the personal level of two men working out faith, but disappointing that their story is buried in a heavy-handed, manipulative plot.
Nell Minow, Beliefnet
This is an unpretentious but sincere film with quiet power, and its final scenes are moving and inspirational.
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press
The latest in the market-a-movie-to-churches trend, "The Grace Card" has the ring of a sermon about it.
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The filmmakers seem more interested in coddling the converted than ministering to sinners.