(Never tell a determined athlete she can‘t play just as well as the boys…)
CAST: Carly Schroeder, Jessie Lee Soffer, Dermont Mulroney, Elisabeth Shue, John Doman, Christopher Shand.
DIRECTOR: David Guggenheim
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and one seriously ballsy female soccer player - straight ahead…
IT’S LIKE THIS: Grace Bowen (Carly Schroeder) is your average teenage girl except in one area: she really wants to play soccer just like the boys do. When her beloved brother and star soccer player, Johnny (Jessie Lee Soffer), dies in a tragic car accident, Grace decides to honor his memory by learning how to play the game and continuing his legacy of love for the game. The only problem? Well, not much… just your average sexist male contingent of teachers, jocks, and other assorted assholes who think she can’t play worth a shit. Oh, and her Pops (Dermot Mulroney) doesn’t have much faith in her either - at first. But our Gracie isn’t one to give up easily…
THE DUDE (OR DUDETTE) MOST LIKELY TO SAVE THE DAY: Gracie. And Pops eventually comes around to stick up for his little girl. Go, Dad…
EYE CANDY MOST LIKELY TO FIRE UP A WOODY: This is a family movie, so we ain’t even gonna go there. Although, Dermot Mulroney as Gracie’s Dad is kind of hot in a greasy roughneck sort of way.
MOST INTENTIONALLY EXCITING SCENE: The climactic soccer match where Gracie finally gets to prove her mettle as a soccer player.
MOST UNINTENTIONALLY EXCITING SCENE: The scene where Gracie challenges the school board’s decision to bar her from the boys’ soccer team. Mom (Elisabeth Shue) gives a moving speech that shames those narrow-minded board members.
HOTTEST SCENE: Like I said, it’s a family movie so I ain’t even going there.
INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW: Will Gracie triumph over her naysayers and prove that she has what it takes to survive on the boys’ soccer team? Or will she give up and take up Home Economics instead? Will the memory of her dead older brother Johnny, who always told her she could do anything and was special, give her the strength to fight on? You better fucking believe it.
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH “GRACIE”: If you love soccer, soccer movies, and real-life stories of spunky women who face the odds and succeed.
WHY YOU MAY NOT ENJOY “GRACIE”: If you don’t like soccer or soccer flicks with spunky chicks in them. If so, I ask you: what the fuck are you doing reading this review?
FINAL ANALYSIS: This flicks is based on actress Elisabeth Shue’s real-life experiences as a teenaged girl fighting her way onto the boys’ soccer team in the wake of her older brother‘s death. GRACIE is sort of a labor of love for the Shue family: Elisabeth plays the role of Gracie’s mom (her own mom, I suppose) and brother Andrew (MELROSE PLACE) co-wrote the screenplay and plays one of the coaches. As a result, there’s a strong undercurrent of emotion here - and understandably so.
GRACIE works well because of the conviction the cast brings to the story and their roles. Carly Schroeder wisely doesn’t play Gracie as some sort of goodie-goodie - but turns the character into an interesting blend of earnest sincerity and fiery intelligence. In short, she’s a believable teenage girl. Of the supporting cast, Dermot Mulroney and Elisabeth Shue turn in the strongest performances as Gracie’s parents, while Jessie Lee Soffer makes a strong impact with his limited screentime as Gracie’s revered older brother, Johnny. After his death, Johnny’s presence hangs over the entire movie like a ghost. Such is the potency of Soffer’s performance. You feel the loss that the Bowen family feels after losing this dynamic guy who was a brilliant soccer player, but also a loving, loyal son and brother.
In the end, GRACIE is a solid soccer flick that not only celebrates the game, but also the importance of family - both in daily humdrum life, and in those moments of loss and victory.
I dedicate this review to memory of William Shue, who inspired the love of soccer in his sister Elisabeth - and made her fight for her dream.
