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USCCB’s Review of Gracie

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U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

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A father-daughter story as much as a sports drama, Gracie (Picturehouse) uses real-life events from actress Elisabeth Shue's family in 1970s' New Jersey in an inspirational movie about pursuing both literal and figurative goals.

In suburban South Orange, N.J., in 1978, teenager Gracie Bowen (Carly Schroeder) is the lone girl amid three brothers. Their father, Bryan (Dermot Mulroney), a moving man, had been a college sports star, and now his boys all live to play soccer. Eldest son Johnny (Jesse Lee Soffer), the pride of the Columbia High School Cougars, is killed one rainy night in a car accident.

Gracie takes it particularly hard, and declares she wants to play soccer on the boys' varsity team. The school board opposes the notion. Even the newly passed Title IX, the federal regulation giving girls equal access to school sports, only mandates the existence of boys' and girls' teams. Gracie's own dad doesn't think she has the right stuff.

Rebuffed, Gracie develops a pattern of bad behavior: riding with boys, stealing the family station wagon to skip school with her friend, Jena (Julia Garro), and necking with a college boy at the Jersey shore.

Her father and her school-nurse mother, Lindsay (Shue), are so despairing that Dad relents and agrees to coach her. He knows that if she's ever going to play with the boys, she's got to be at least as tough as they are.

Director Davis Guggenheim, Shue's Oscar-winning documentarian husband, wrote the story along with Shue's actor brother, Andrew, and a third writer. Refreshingly, he doesn't follow the standard sports-film trajectory. Gracie's path isn't smooth or direct, though it would be revealing too much to say more.

The climactic game proves all the more inspiring for its naturalism, aided by the overall movie's good sports choreography.

The film contains several instances of crude language, two instances of mild, clothed sexual groping, one bloody nose, a few puffs of underage smoking, and an underage teen at a disco. The film might be acceptable for older teens. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

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    I have mixed feelings about the above.We have women in my country who want mixed soccer teams,but their motive is suspect.There are not

    the spectators attending women's soccer to generate the money like in men's soccer.

    I contrast that with the way women demanded equality with men on the question of Prize Money on the Tennis Circuits.I notice they are not interested in playing Singles Matches against the men.Would that be because tennis has always been a women's game and they can get the crowds and the money without having to mix it with the men,like they are suggesting we do at soccer? 

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    Guest

    did i just read that this movie might be okay for some older teens..

    i would like to meet the parents that would allow their older teens to see this movie..  if you go to the website http://www.kidsinmind.com,  you will see all of the filth contained in this movie.

    it is filled with scenes containing cleavage and there is also a scene where  a couple are making out in the back of a car and we see him climb on top of her.  and there is a ton of more filth. just go to that website and you will see how much.

    this movie is not suitable for adults.

    just because your an adult, it is okay to sit in front of movies that promote immodesty and fornication? 

    if you really think of how much Jesus suffered when he died on the cross for us, do you really think it is worth offending him by supporting the filth that hollywood puts out in the name of entertainment.

    i mean would you support that movie if Jesus Christ was in the movie theater? or would you try to sneak out before He saw that you had the audacity to go in and see it.

     

    once again our bishops have failed us when it comes to directing us on moral movies.

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