Production Company: Picturehouse
Director: Davis Guggenheim
Cast: Elisabeth Shue, Dermot Mulroney, Carly Schroeder, Andrew Shue
Rating: PG-13 for brief sexual content.

By Gregg Tubbs

(UMC.org)—There's an old Hollywood line that says Ginger Rogers could do everything Fred Astaire did, but she had to do it backwards and in high heels. That's the spirit that infuses Gracie, an endearing and uplifting family drama about overcoming the perception that if you are a girl, there are things you just can't do, places you can't go, and things you can't say. As Gracie fights an uphill battle to make the boy's soccer team, we also see something rare in today's cinema: a portrait of a real, believable working class family.

Set in 1978, Gracie is loosely inspired by the real life struggles of Elisabeth Shue (Oscar nominee for Leaving Las Vegas), and her family in working class South Orange New Jersey. Shue herself is the inspiration for Gracie Bowen, a 15-year-old girl who overcomes the tragic loss of her older brother (and protector), Johnny, and fights to achieve her dream of playing competitive soccer at a time when girl's soccer didn't yet exist. The young actress Carly Schroeder brings an appealing mix of fragility and courage along with ample teenage sass to the role of Gracie. Much of the behind and on camera talent is a family affair: Elisabeth Shue plays mother Lindsay; her brother, Andrew Shue (Melrose Place), plays JV Coach Clark and is a co-producer of the film; and Shue's own husband, Davis Guggenheim (Oscar winner for An Inconvenient Truth), directs the film.

The Bowen family lives for soccer. The father, Bryan (Dermot Mulroney), was a high school star until he was sidelined by a knee injury. By day, he now works at a moving company, and by night, he tries to coach his sons to the soccer glory that eluded him. Sound familiar? It should. Parents transferring their frustrated dreams and ambitions onto their children is all too common, and just as in Gracie, the pressure on the children can be great. Here, the pressure is all on their "golden boy," Johnny, the oldest. Johnny is a sensitive boy who has with a natural gift for soccer, but he plays more to please his father than for any love of the game. The younger child, Gracie—who is already better at soccer than many boys and a true lover of the game—gets lost in all the attention paid to Johnny. Their typical, far from perfect family is suddenly shattered when Johnny, their greatest source of hope and pride, is killed in an automobile crash on the night of the big game versus a cross-town rival.

Going into Gracie, we know that the thrust of the film is her struggle to break into the "boy's club" of high school soccer and, if possible, bring the team the victory that her brother Johnny couldn't. But where I believe Gracie scores most of its goals is in its portrayal of a real and loving, yet flawed family. The Bowen family is a product of their time, yet also timeless in their hopes and dreams, their response to grief and disappointment, and their entrenched sexism and adherence to expected roles.

This family also shares a great bond of love, which enables them to slowly but surely pull together after a crisis. In so doing, they come see each other in different, more honest ways. Of course, Bryan must first see his daughter Gracie's potential and then believe in her as a player. But gruff Bryan himself is more fragile and broken—by working life and the loss of a son—than he would like to let on. And mother Lindsay is stronger, more complex than first perceived. Although she wanted to be a doctor, she did what was "expected" at the time for women and instead became a nurse. She bravely takes on extra shifts to help make sure Gracie doesn't have to compromise her own dreams. When she tells Gracie, "If you want to limit yourself, that's fine; just don't let others do it for you," she speaks with the voice of experience.

Just like its underdog main character, Gracie is the "little movie that could." Although the film doesn't boast the biggest cast, biggest budget, or even the flashiest story, it nevertheless works its way into your heart. It's an underdog sports hero movie, with enough twists to keep you on your toes. It's also a liberating "girl power" romp with grit and heart with the message that no one should be allowed to limit a person's God-given potential. Most of all, the film tells a story of an American family that's honest, unflinching and ultimately uplifting. Gracie scores a goal!

Study Questions:

Could you identify with Gracie and her desire to play soccer? Have you ever felt stifled by an expecedt "role" to which you felt you had to conform?
Do you think it's possible for a parent to expect too much of a child? Did Bryan expect too much of Johnny? Why or why not?
Early in the film, Johnny told Gracie, "You can do anything." Do you think he was right? Have you ever surprised someone with what you can do?
Do you think faith can make all things possible? (See Mark 9:23.) Must these things be pleasing to God? Are there limits to what can be accomplished with faith?
How important was it to Gracie for her father to have faith in her? Why do you think it was so hard for him? In what way did Gracie's quest require a "leap of faith" from both of them?
Why do you think Gracie chose soccer as a way to honor Johnny? Was she being stubborn for not going out for field hockey, which was a girl's sport?
Do you think Gracie's mother was bitter about her place in life? Or was she simply resigned to it?
Do you know anyone in your life who never achieved their true potential? What do you think stood in her or his way?
Do you think God wants us to achieve our true potential? How do human free will and God's will come into play? Are they mutually exclusive?
Do you think it was right for Gracie to have been excluded from the team at first? Are there things that are just "for boys" or just "for girls?" Why or why not?