Grace Is Gone (2007)

Stanley Phillips (John Cusack) is a mild-mannered store manager. His wife Grace is away at war in Iraq. They met in basic training and married before he got thrown out for his eyes. He's informed of her death but he can't bring himself to tell their daughters Heidi and Dawn. He decides to take them out of school on a surprise trip to amusement park Enchanted Gardens. They visit his anti-war slacker brother John Phillips (Alessandro Nivola). The older daughter Heidi starts to suspect something is wrong.Cusack is playing against type as a father. He is literally hunched over after the news. It's an interesting performance and the two girls are great. The older girl is especially good. This road trip movie is a bit too simplistic. There isn't enough going on. It needs a few more outside characters for the three leads to interact with like that smoking boy. It is nevertheless very compelling and the inevitable talk is powerful.

James C. Strouse both writes and directs this compelling yet subtly told story of coping with grief. When Cusack's widower character receives the devastating news, he's distraught but how's he going to tell the kids? Instead, he takes them to Disneyland while he himself struggles to cope. 'Grace Is Gone' moves at a modest pace and Eastwood's terrific minimal soundtrack accompanies us in Stanley and his daughter's difficult but necessary journey. Political themes are occasionally brought up and Strouse attempts to present a balanced view but he also makes clear that this isn't a political film.John Cusack delivers one of his finest restrained performances. Shélan O'Keefe and Gracie Bednarczyk are superb as the two daughters who are respectively confused and unaware and growing up. Alessandro Nivola does a fine job in a brief role as Stanley's brother (who shares the opposite viewpoint on politics).I liked that here there wasn't a lot of focus on the landscape (not that would have minded that) because Strouse stays focused on the three key characters. Like most road movies, this one too is mainly about searching and discovering but what they find in the end is grace.

I happened to see this at my local library and, generally liking John Cusack even in lesser properties (really, "2012" takes the big-dumb-blockbuster movie template to a ridiculous level, but it's still watchable in part because of oddballs like Cusack and Woody H.), thought I'd give it a try even though it sounded a tad more somber than what I was in the mood for. I'm glad I watched it. I like 'road movies,' anyway, and this one is built around that classic structure, but there's a lot more said in this film than is actually SAID.A perusal of comments regarding this film reveals the not surprising ability of _Moron americanus_ to totally miss the point, in this case that group being divided about equally into people who bemoan the fact that every facet of the film was not laid out for them and explained at length, undoubtedly using small words, and those who in true knee-jerk manner decry the whole as 'liberal' propaganda or anti-American, whatever THAT is supposed to mean in today's USA. The first criticism stems, I think, from the film being one that includes some relatively subtle and quite realistic (i.e., not always making narrative sense) aspects to the storyline and the characters' journeys. The second criticism is, predictably, totally off target. This film has no political agenda, at least not one that's going to hit any sane person over the head. The main character's brother gets in a few jibes about the Bush Jr maladministration but he's not without flaws himself and his more hawkish, neocon-enabling brother is similarly not devoid of sense or perspective. The actor and citizen John Cusack IS one of the people who, like me, sees the whole Iraq fiasco as not just flawed from the start but massively criminal (not at the level of those sent abroad to prosecute the war but at the level of the chickenhawks in DC and elsewhere who blithely sent them) but, to his and the film's credit, his character in this piece does not have some sudden epiphany at film's end and start wearing Birkenstocks and sipping lattes.The bottom line, to my mind, is that in this film the tragedy at the story's core happens to be one with military context but that, when it comes down to it, the very touching and well-presented (cutting to the music was a good touch) beach scene near the end could be ANY situation wherein a parent is telling his or her children that the other parent has died. That's what I felt, anyway, that the film was far more universally relevant and that particular scene universally applicable; to me, that's what made it even more sad, thinking of how many millions of people over the years, around the world, have had moments like that.The acting is perfect. The two kids are excellent in what, so far, remains the sole film role for each. John Cusack is great, too, not only playing against type to a degree but playing his part completely convincingly. And when I saw the music was by Clint Eastwood I, of course, immediately wondered "THE Clint Eastwood?" -- his music is fitting and used very effectively. A talented man, is old Clint.

I honestly did not want to watch another movie which criticizes the war between United States and Irak,because there have already been too many good quality movies about that subject,at the same time that the landing of the new North American government on past January will kill some weight and relevance to all the films which criticized Bush's presidency.However,I decided to watch Grace Is Gone,because I have always liked the work of John Cusack,at the same time I wanted to see what perspective this movie was going to offer about the war.What a great surprise I took with Grace Is Gone.This is an excellent movie which finds a fresh way of depicting the war between United States and Irak.I simply admired the proposal from this movie,because it will always be valid and relevant for the simple fact that,with or without new President,the United States are going to suffer for a long time the consequences to their actions and I am sure the future will bring us new movies analyzing that thing...something like the enormous quantity of movies which were made about the Vietnam war during the 70's and the 80's.Grace Is Gone works perfectly well on two levels.For one sight,I found its portrait of the domestic and emotional life from the ones who stay at home,who are frightened but at the same time optimistic about the destiny of their loved ones, very interesting.But the best aspect from this movie is the interpretation it makes about the war,which is done on a very different way to the one which might be expected.It would have been very easy to show the main character as a liberal pacifist and to simply compel him to repeat the long list of complains we are used to hear.But it was much more provocative to show the main character as a guy who supported the war and who is proud of the work his wife has done there because she risked her life to keep the liberties many people do not properly appreciate.I will now mention all the other positive elements from this great movie : the family drama feels completely honest and realistic; the performances are excellent (the girls are particularly impressing); director James C. Strouse made a sober work which is completely at tone with the story,while as a screenwriter,he could get a precise balance between emotions and narrative at the same time he exposed the subject of the war on a provocative way.I will look forward to seeing Strouse's next movies.The only complain I have against this movie is that it felt a little bit dull on a specific moment.In spite of that,I recommend Grace Is Gone with a lot of enthusiasm.I did not have too big expectations with it,and I finished taking a great surprise.