Grace of My Heart (1996)

An aspiring singer, Denise Waverly/Edna Buxton, sacrifices her own singing career to write hit songs that launch the careers of other singers. The film follows her life from her first break... See full summary »

Director:

Allison Anders

Writer:

Allison Anders

Stars:

Illeana Douglas, John Turturro, Sissy Boyd

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Illeana Douglas	...	Denise Waverly / Edna Buxton
Sissy Boyd	...	Dress Saleswoman
Christina Pickles	...	Mrs. Buxton
Jill Sobule	...	Singing Contestant
Jennifer Leigh Warren	...	Doris Shelley
Tegan West	...	M.C. at Talent Show
Richard Schiff	...	Audition Record Producer
Natalie Venetia Belcon	...	Betty
Kathy Barbour	...	Sha Sha
John Turturro	...	Joel Millner
Diane Robin	...	Waitress in Diner
Eric Jerome Kirkland	...	Stylette
Irving Washington III	...	Stylette (as Irving Eugene Washington III)
Kurt Jackson	...	Stylette
Michael Angelo Saulsberry	...	Stylette (as Michael Saulsberry)

Storyline

An aspiring singer, Denise Waverly/Edna Buxton, sacrifices her own singing career to write hit songs that launch the careers of other singers. The film follows her life from her first break, through the pain of rejection from the recording industry and a bad marriage, to her final triumph.

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Plot Keywords:

f rated | title directed by female | songwriter | singer songwriter | rock band | 

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Taglines:

For years her songs brought fame to other people. Then she found her own voice.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, and for some sexuality and drug content

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 September 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Sombra de Um Génio

Filming Locations:

1365 S Oakland Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$173,654, 15 September 1996, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$617,632, 6 October 1996

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cappa Production,Gramercy Pictures (I),Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The soundtrack song "God Give Me Strength" was composed by Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello under curious circumstances. Since they lived on opposites sides of the Atlantic (US & UK), the song evolved over the course of several long-distance calls and recorded snippets left on answering machines.

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Goofs

Jay Phillips' sunglasses during TV interview.

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Quotes

Denise Waverly: What exactly did you like about my record? The thickness of the vinyl?

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: The Chamber/The Ghost and the Darkness/The Long Kiss Goodnight/Looking for Richard/Freeway (1996)

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Soundtracks

I Know
Written by Boyd Rice
Produced by Larry Klein
Performed by For Real
Courtesy of A&M Records, Inc.

User Reviews

Grace of My Heart is my all time most favorite movie!

As a former singer with a female group from the 70's, called "SOFTOUCH", I could really appreciate the movie, "Grace of My Heart". I thought the movie was very authentic in its presentation of the artists' struggles with becoming a "singer" in his or her own right, as well as a writer. It was not a popular position to be in in the 50's and 60's. I love Ms. Douglas. I thought she did an exceptional job with the material and the singing. John Tuturro was great as the manager and provided great comedic relief. Since his performance, I have gone out of my way to see everything he has performed in. He is an awesome actor! Most importantly, I enjoyed the music of Burt Bacharach. There is none other to compare. His songs are historic! My only concerns are these: 1) I would have appreciated the female vocalist, Kristin Vigard recording the hit "God Give Me Strength". I thought her voice was much more haunting and convincing. 2) Where can I purchase the Song Book for the sound track? I am now a teacher of middle school students in the arts program, and there are several clips from the movie that I have been able to show my students - and they love this movie! I cannot show the entire movie for the obvious sexual content however, they get a kick out of the music, storyline and the progress of the time including the wardrobe changes.