Nearing Grace (2005)

In the shadow of a family loss, the youngest son develops interest in an attractive high school classmate, paying little mind of her athletic boyfriend or of his own female best friend.

Director:

Rick Rosenthal

Writers:

Scott Sommer (novel), Jacob Estes (screenplay) (as Jacob Aaron Estes)

Stars:

Gregory Smith, Jordana Brewster, Ashley Johnson

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gregory Smith	...	Henry Nearing
Jordana Brewster	...	Grace Chance
Ashley Johnson	...	Merna Ash
David Moscow	...	Blair Nearing
Chad Faust	...	Lance
Brian Doyle-Murray	...	Clement C. Haydes
Logan Bartholomew	...	Tripp
David Morse	...	Shep Nearing
Shannon Day	...	Rose Nearing
Amy Main	...	Strawberry (as Amy Minderhout)
Raissa Fleming	...	Spanish Teacher
Noah Rosenthal	...	Studly Bartender
Courtney Taylor-Taylor	...	Prom Band - The Band of Warhols
Brent DeBoer	...	Prom Band - The Band of Warhols
Jon Fell	...	Prom Band - The Band of Warhols (as John Fell)

Storyline

In New Jersey, 1978-79, the Nearing family loses Rose Nearing, leaving a husband and two sons reeling with the loss. As the father slips increasingly toward drink and the collegiate older brother toward substance abuse and a career in drug smuggling, youngest son Henry has eyes for Grace, the high school senior class beauty. She reciprocates Henry's interest, despite having a steady boyfriend. What Henry takes for granted is his best friend friendship with Merna, a girl who's been there for him since childhood.

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Plot Keywords:

drug abuse | watching television | reference to the incredible hulk | taxi | friend | 

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Taglines:

What if the one thing you want is the last thing you need?

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for drug use, language and sexual content

Did You Know?

Trivia

The car which Grace (Jordana Brewster) steals, and Henry (Gregory Smith) burns is a 1969 Plymouth Fury.

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Goofs

The letter carrier that delivers the mail to Henry's house is wearing a baseball style cap that wasn't part of the U.S. Postal worker's uniform until 1982, and the setting of the movie is 1978.

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Quotes

Merna Ash: Being against the Beatles is like being against life itself.

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Connections

References The Incredible Hulk (1977)

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Soundtracks

I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
Written by Dee Dee Ramone (as Douglas Colvin), Tommy Ramone (as Thomas Erdelyi), Joey Ramone (as Jeff Hyman), and Johnny Ramone (as John Cummings)
Performed by Ramones
Courtesy of Sire Records
By arrangement with Warner Strategic Marketing

User Reviews

Vague, poorly cast movie

After I saw this film, it left me scratching my head for a few reasons. At first, I thought it was a movie about college, since all the actors were so old and just walked in and out of classrooms at their leisure, but then I was stunned that they were suppose to be high school age. They are all obviously in their twenties and looked ridiculous as teenagers...it's like casting white people to play blacks in a movie, just as out of place and ridiculous. Next, the movie plays on it's vagueness, we don't understand the motivations behind any of these characters and the dialogue comes off as contrived and phony. Finally, for a film that was supposed to be set in the seventies, it truly fails to capture any feel for that era, it seems more modern than anything in dialogue and appearance. Not a movie that you will hate, but bland and vague enough to leave an empty feeling in your gut after viewing.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 June 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Beyond the Box

Filming Locations:

Grant High School - 2245 NE 36th Avenue, Portland, Oregon, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,650,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Whitewater Films, Ironic Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color