Grace Is Gone

65

The Weinstein Company (85 minutes)
and James C. Strouse
John Cusack , Alessandro Nivola , Shelan O'Keefe , and Gracie Bednarczyk

Rating: PG-13 for thematic material, brief strong language and teen smoking

Summary: There was a time when Stanley Phillips could see his entire life clearly. He dreamed of patriotic service and was destined for a military career. He came close to that dream until it was cut short simply because of his poor eyesight. Now he's serving customers at a home supply store while his sergeant wife is fighting in Iraq. Equally as awkward at home as he is at work, he's raising Heidi, their 12-year-old daughter, and Dawn, her 8-year-old sister. Although a loving father, Stanley is unable to conform to a more affectionate role, and the girls miss their mother deeply. While tolerating his job and stumbling through parenting he is abruptly awakened when tragedy strikes. Ill prepared to deal with it himself, he is at a complete loss contemplating how to tell his children. He's desperate to delay telling the children, so they embark on a spontaneous road trip. Grasping to give them their last moments of innocence, Stanley reveals a softer side as they travel to Dawn's chosen destination: Enchanted Gardens Theme Park. The farther they drive, the closer they become, yet Stanley knows he must face the inevitable task of changing their lives forever. (The Weinstein Company)

Tasha Robinson
The Onion (A.V. Club):
(83) Attempts to address grief frankly, gently, and without didacticism, and it largely succeeds.

Stephen Holden
The New York Times:
(80) Mr. Cusack demonstrates once again that he is Hollywood’s second-most-reliable nice guy, after Tom Hanks. Devoid of vanity, with no hidden agendas, he never strains to be likable. Good will, integrity and a native common sense ooze out of him.

Glenn Kenny
Premiere:
(75) A picture about tragedy in one American family's life, and it's a convincing and humane one.

Claudia Puig
USA Today:
(75) As subtle and shattering as its title.

Peter Travers
Rolling Stone:
(75) Simplicity -- four-square, not sappy -- is rare in film. James C. Strouse had it in his script for Lonesome Jim. As writer and first-time director, he gives Grace Is Gonethe quiet power to sneak up and floor you.

James Berardinelli
ReelViews:
(75) With a minimalist plot, Grace Is Gone turns its primary focus on John Cusack, giving the actor an opportunity to display both his talent and his range.

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