Grace Is Gone (2007)

Upon hearing his wife was killed in the Iraq war, a father takes his two daughters on a road trip.

Director:

James C. Strouse

Writer:

James C. Strouse

Stars:

John Cusack, Emily Churchill, Rebecca Spence

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Cusack	...	Stanley Phillips
Emily Churchill	...	First Woman
Rebecca Spence	...	Second Woman
Jennifer Tyler	...	Third Woman
Susan Messing	...	Fourth Woman
Shélan O'Keefe	...	Heidi Phillips
Gracie Bednarczyk	...	Dawn Phillips
Doug Dearth	...	Captain Riggs
Doug James	...	Chaplain Johnson
Alessandro Nivola	...	John Phillips
Zach Gray	...	Boy at Pool (as Zachary Gray)
Marisa Tomei	...	Woman at Pool
Penny Slusher	...	Ear Piercer
Dana Lynne Gilhooley	...	Grace Phillips
Mary Kay Place	...	Woman at Funeral

Storyline

Stan Philipps's wife Grace is a sergeant with the U.S. Army. While she's posted to Iraq, the earnest Stan is home in Minnesota with their daughters, Heidi, 12, and Dawn, 8. He manages a home supply store. After morning visitors bring Stan news, he takes the girls for a car ride that turns into a spontaneous trip to Dawn's favorite place, a Florida amusement park. On the way, they stop at Stan's mother's house, where his brother is staying. Heidi is an insomniac, who tries to fathom her father's uncharacteristic behavior. Dawn is cheerfully unreflective. They have fun at the park. Stan summons his courage.

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Plot Keywords:

iraq | trip | minnesota | amusement park | girl | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic material, brief strong language and teen smoking

Details

Official Sites:

TFM Distribution [fr] The Weinstein Company [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 January 2008 (Israel)

Also Known As:

Ella se fue

Filming Locations:

725 9th Avenue, La Grange, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$13,880 (USA) (7 December 2007)

Gross:

$50,080 (USA) (1 February 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Plum Pictures, Weinstein Company, The, New Crime Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was originally going to be directed by Rob Reiner, who dropped out during pre-production for unknown reasons. The film's writer, James C. Strouse, then took over directorial duties.

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Goofs

When the girls are playing in the pool at the motel, in the shot just after Dawn disturbs Heidi as Heidi tries to float on her back, there are noticeable waves in the water around them. But when the shot switches to the boy whose mother is resting in the pool chair on the far side of the pool, the water is suddenly as smooth as glass.

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Quotes

Heidi Phillips: What do you do at work Dad?
Stanley Philipps: I sell shit.

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Connections

References Time Crisis 3 (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Lullaby for Wyatt"
Written and Performed by Sheryl Crow
Courtesy of A&M Records

User Reviews

A good film that could have been great.

I saw this at the Traverse City Film Festival.

Grace is Gone stars John Cusack as a husband whose wife has just been killed in Iraq. He doesn't have the courage to tell his two young daughters that their mother has died, so instead he decides to take them on a road trip, perhaps not to just make it easier on the girls but to make it easier for himself.

This film was pretty good but I felt it was flat at parts and some tears were forced. It didn't have as much emotion as I thought it would have. John Cusack does a great job acting in the film, but most of the time his character is just trying to hide the sadness from his daughters. Some scenes drag on and others don't seem to really fit in with the rest of the story.

My favorite scene in the film takes place in a store and involves the younger daughter wandering off on her own. The scene is so subtle and the drama isn't as obvious as other parts in the film, but it's quite an emotional scene. I wish the rest of the film had moments like that.

Politics aren't really discussed much in the film, at least not as much as I thought there was going to be. However, when it does, it goes with the typical cliché of family members differing in beliefs and trying to get their own point across. People will probably be interested in this film because of the subject matter and the modern storyline, but apart from the cause of death of the wife, the war is never really mentioned. In a way, that's why this film doesn't work at times. Apart from the one scene with his anti-war brother, Cusack's character never gets a chance to express his emotions and regrets because he's always with his children.

Nonetheless, as a film about a father trying to reveal to his children the death of their mother, it's a good film. But if you're seeing the film because it involves the war in Iraq, you'll be disappointed because the war is hardly mentioned.