Grace Is Gone (2007)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

James C. Strouse

Writer (WGA):

James C. Strouse (written by)

Release Date:

10 January 2008 (Israel)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Trip | Iraq War | Store | Minnesota | Amusement Park

Awards:

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

US TV Schedule:

Wed. Nov. 11

6:30 AM

HBO

Cast

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

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #43815) | Singapore:PG | Australia:M | Netherlands:6 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Finland:K-7 | Argentina:13 | South Korea:All

Filming Locations:

725 9th Avenue, La Grange, Illinois, USA

Company:

Plum Pictures

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.

Goofs:

Continuity: While the girls have dinner with Uncle John at Dairy Queen, his ice cream sundae appears to be finished and/or partially finished throughout their meal. At the beginning of the conversation that we see, the sundae appears to be finished as he tries to clean the bowl out with a spoon; but in the next shot we see that the sundae is only halfway finished.

Quotes:

John Phillips: It's important that people have their own views based on an understanding of facts. But, it's also important not to trust the facts, because most of them are lies.
Heidi Phillips: I don't get it.
John Phillips: It basically comes down to a gut thing. You just have to be open to allowing for a truth which differs from your own opinions. Or else you'll never actually see the truth at all.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2007-12-08)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Gimme Gimme

John Cusack takes the cake

John Cusack was excellent in this role. I saw a side of him that I never expected possible. His characters are usually intelligent and witty with sarcastic undertones, but this film shows a side of his versatility that has never surfaced before. He plays a father of two that is struggling to find a common ground. His military background leaves little commonality between himself and his daughters. The devastating loss of his wife, and the mother of his children force this character in a place that few have ever been. After an entire childhood of emotional absents, his children finally see the softer side of their father as he struggles to tell them of the untimely death of their mother. It was truly an emotional roller coaster.