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:

Jim Strouse (as James C. Strouse)

Writer:

Jim Strouse (as James C. Strouse)

Stars:

John Cusack, Emily Churchill, Rebecca Spence

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 4 wins & 5 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:

road trip | amusement park | death of loved one | death | eulogy | 

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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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 [France] The Weinstein Company [United States]

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 USA:

$13,880, 9 December 2007, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$50,080, 3 February 2008

Company Credits

Production Co:

Plum Pictures, The Weinstein Company, 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

First film for which Clint Eastwood composed the score without directing as well.

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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

[first lines]
Grace Phillips: [on outgoing message] Hi. You've reached Grace, Stanley, Heidi, and Dawn. We're not home right how, but if you leave a message, we'll get back to you as soon as possible.
[beep]
Grace Phillips: [leaving a message] Hi everyone, it's mom! I just wanted to call and tell you how much I'm thinking of you. Stan, I guess you're at work now. Have you had a chance to go to that group thing yet? I think its a great idea. God, it's hot here. I'm not sure when I'm going to be able to call again. It might be a ...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: The Golden Compass/The Amateurs/Atonement/Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story/Grace Is Gone (2007)

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Soundtracks

Hugging My Grudge
Written by Jonathan Owen and Peter John Hobbs
Performed by The Boy Least Likely To
Courtesy of 19 Recordings Limited

User Reviews

A Nutshell Review: Grace is Gone

John Cusack is one of the character actors I admire. And in Grace is Gone, it centers upon his ability to bring you into his character's world. He really transformed himself into the role of Stanley Philipps with his thick glasses, walking with an instep, and that little hunch and a paunch, and delivers probably one of his finer touches in disappearing into a character that's so everyday average joe. He's a salaryman earning his keep while watching over his two girls while Mrs Grace Philipps (Dana Lynne Gilhooley) is a career soldier who gets her tour of duty in Iraq.

The crux of the entire story laid on the premise of Stanley trying to find the appropriate moment to tell his children about the unfortunate demise of their mother, while at the same time fighting hard to accept the bitter truth that the woman he loves is gone. More so of course when it is revealed later some things that can no longer be reversed in time, which makes it all the more sad, and regrettable.

But we also learn more about Stanley through the eyes of his children, when they throw the occasional tantrum, or have issues to deal with. Shelan O'Keefe as Heidi the older daughter, is a remarkable actress, lending some gravitas to her role when it called for it, and holds her own opposite Cusack very well. Gracie Bednarczyk as younger daughter Dawn I guess was just being herself, injecting much needed effervescence to counter the heavy drama that circulates throughout the movie.

Besides some expected and really moving scenes in the movie, some from plot devices, while others from the characters themselves, writer-director James C. Strouse also managed to sneak in a comment or two about War and Truth, which is what we make it up to be, most of the time. Alessandro Nivola also turned in a rather short but nice performance behind that heavily bearded appearance as the brother of Stanley and the children's uncle.

If I need another plus point to recommend Grace is Gone, then it will be the score by Clint Eastwood (yes, what a surprise when the end credits rolled), punctuating the story neatly when it called for it. All in all, a story without any major plot twists (since the title already said it all), simple yet effective, and hinged very much on excellent acting to bring the characters to life.