Gracie (film)

Infobox Film
name = Gracie


image_size =
caption = Publicity poster for "Gracie"
director = Davis Guggenheim
producer = Davis Guggenheim
Andrew Shue
Elizabeth Shue
John Shue
writer = (screenplay):
Lisa Marie Petersen
Karen Janszen (story):
Andrew Shue
Davis Guggenheim
Ken Himmelman
narrator =
starring = Elisabeth Shue Carly Schroeder Dermot Mulroney Jesse Lee Soffer
Andrew Shue
music = Mark Isham
cinematography = Chris Manley
editing =
distributor = Picturehouse Entertainment
released = 01 June 2007
runtime = 95 min.
country = United States
language = English
budget =
gross = $2,956,339
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website = http://www.graciemovie.com/
amg_id = 1:355674
imdb_id = 0441007

"Gracie" is a 2007 American sports/historical fiction film directed by Davis Guggenheim. It stars Carly Schroeder as Gracie Bowen, Dermot Mulroney as Bryan Bowen, Elisabeth Shue as Lindsay Bowen, Jesse Lee Soffer as Johnny Bowen, and Andrew Shue as Coach Owen Clark.

"Gracie" takes place in New Jersey in 1978 before Title IX (which was passed in 1972) had a chance to take effectcite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/27artsnj.html?_r=1&oref=slogin|title=A Star’s (Pre-Celebrity) Turn on the Soccer Field |last=Cahillane|first=Kevin|date=May 27, 2007|publisher=The New York Times Company|accessdate=2008-09-19] and when women's soccer did not exist in the States. "Gracie", the film's central protagonist, overcomes the loss of her brother by convincing her family and school to allow her to play varsity soccer on an all-boys team. It is loosely based on the childhood experiences of Elizabeth Shue.

The novel "Gracie" (by fantasy and science fiction author Suzanne Weyn) was released in June 2007. [ [http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9781557047793&z=y Gracie] ]

Plot

It is 1978 and 15 year old Gracie Bowen (Carly Schroeder), who lives in South Orange, New Jersey, is crazy about soccer, as are her three brothers and former soccer star father (Dermot Mulroney). Although Gracie wants to join her brothers and father in the nightly practices, she is discouraged by everyone except her elder brother, Johnny (Jesse Lee Soffer).

Tragedy unexpectedly strikes when Johnny, the star of the Columbia High School varsity soccer team, is killed in a car accident. Struggling with grief over her family's loss, Gracie decides that she wants to replace her brother on the team. Her father does not believe that girls should play soccer and tells her that she is neither tough enough nor talented enough to play with the boys team. He devotes most of his time and energies to Gracie's brothers, particularly Johnny. Her mother, Lindsey Bowen, is a nurse who lacks the competitive drive of the rest of her family and who fears for Gracie's safety. Lindsey later confesses to Gracie, in discussing gender inequities, that she would have liked to become a surgeon but that option was not available to her.

Feeling rejected by her father and depressed over the fact that her desire to play soccer is not taken seriously, Gracie begins to rebel. She stops doing her schoolwork, is caught cheating on an exam, and experiments with wild and self-destructive behavior. This serves as a "wake-up call" for her parents, particularly her father. He quits his job to coach her in soccer. When the school board rejects her request to play boy's soccer, it is revealed that he wanted her to play women's field hockey. Gracie files an appeal with the school board. Citing the newly passed Title IX, Gracie argues that since a girl's soccer team does not exist, she should be allowed to play on the boy's varsity soccer team. The school board allows her to try out for the team. After very rough tryouts, she makes the junior varsity squad and has to decide if she is willing to play at that level.

Historical background

The premise of the film rests upon the conflicting expectations of two different American generations. As Gracie's parents were most likely both products of what is now referred to as the Silent Generation (children born during the Great Depression and World War II), they would have been raised to adhere to traditional gender roles. [ [http://www.beliefnet.com/story/219/story_21934.html 'Trying to Live a Passionate Life': Interview with Andrew Shue] ] This would include discouraging a girl from participating in "boys sports" such as soccer as opposed to "girls sports" such as cheerleading or gymnastics. [ [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3702/is_200610/ai_n17193792 Girlie Girls and Manly Men: Chidren's Stigma Consciousness of Gender in Sports and Physical Activities] ] Gracie, on the other hand, came of age during the 1970s, when new and controversial ideas about gender were being introduced. [ [http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/cgi-bin/iowa/issues/business/article.html?record=882 The Future of Women's Sport and Fitness] ]

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, critic for the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution," noted an additional generation gap between those in the film and those in the audience, many of whom grew up with the United States women's national soccer team (which played its first game in 1985) as a reality:

Other critics have also noted the multiple generation gaps. Kevin Cahillane observes in the "New York Times" that, "this being 1978 (before Title IX turned a generation of girls from onlookers into athletes), her desire goes against the wishes of the coach, the principal, the other players and her heartbroken parents." In another article for the "New York Times," Jeannette Catsoulis further argues that, " [Gracie] is accustomed to having her abilities overlooked [...] When tragedy strikes, and Grace channels her grief into a resolution to play on the all-male varsity team, even her best friend is horrified. As everyone knows, only lesbians play soccer." [ [http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/05/31/movies/01grac.html?ex=1338350400&en=23df6b0a612f84a8&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss Soccer Dreams and Family Tensions] ]

The film closes with the following remarks: "Thanks to Title IX and brave girls like Gracie, there are over 5 million girls who play soccer in America. Since 1991 the U.S. Women's National team has won Soccer's World Championships four times."

Production

Development and casting

The film is loosely based on life events concerning the Shue family. Former "Melrose Place" star, Andrew Shue (who developed, produced, and had a supporting role in the film) initially conceived of it as a story about his late brother William (William was the oldest Shue sibling and was captain of the Columbia High School soccer team that won the New Jersey state championship in 1978; he died in an accident in 1988). As Andrew developed the idea with his brother-in-law (the director of "An Inconvenient Truth", Davis Guggenheim) the storyline began to shift towards Guggenheim's wife, Elizabeth Shue, Andrew's older sister. Elizabeth became the model for Gracie and William the model for Johnny. Andrew Shue noted in an interview that,

This refers to Elisabeth's Shue's decision at the age of nine (in 1972) to play soccer on an all-boys team, making her the first girl in the South Orange and Maplewood areas of New Jersey to do so. [ [http://www.popmatters.com/pm/news/article/41996/based-on-a-real-story-gracie-is-a-shue-thing Based on a real story, 'Gracie' is a Shue thing] ] Shue stated in a 2007 interview that she did this because, "There was no other choice back then. There was no girls team to play on." [ [http://www.popmatters.com/pm/news/article/41996/based-on-a-real-story-gracie-is-a-shue-thing Based on a real story, 'Gracie' is a Shue thing] ] Shue continued to play on the team until 1976, when she turned 13. Of her decision to leave the team, Shue stated, "the movie is really what would have happened if I hadn’t quit [playing soccer] . I quit because of what people would think of me. The pressure from the boys. The awkward development of my body. I really, really regret it. I wish I’d been brave enough."

Andrew, Elizabeth, and their brother John (who was also a producer on the film) along with Guggenheim then engaged in an extensive search to find the right actress to portray fifteen year old Gracie. The search was promoted via the website, "findinggracie.com". [ [http://web.archive.org/web/*/findinggracie.com/ archived versions from 2004-2006] ] [ [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1044463,00.html Shue Business] , an April 2005 article from the "Entertainment Weekly" website] The role eventually went to athlete - actress Carly Schroeder. Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat argue that Schroeder "puts in a stellar performance as the teenager who becomes a warrior when most of her peers are cheering from the sidelines." [ [http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/films.php?id=16912 Gracie: A film review] ]

Filming partly took place at Columbia High School, both the setting of the events of the film as well as the actual high school attended by the Shue family. [ [http://www.columbiasoccer.net/ Columbia High Soccer] ]

Reception

Reviews

At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper gave "Gracie" "Two Thumbs up," stating, "You've seen it before, but you'll rarely see it better." [ [http://bventertainment.go.com/tv/buenavista/ebertandroeper/index2.html?sec=6&subsec=Gracie Ebert and Roeper review] ] "Gracie" is a "New York Times Critics' Pick." Times critic Jeannette Catsoulis described "Gracie" as "a familiar underdog story told with unusual sensitivity [...] “Gracie” connects the adversity-drama dots — the beat-down, the bounce-back, the last-minute support from an unexpected quarter — with a subtle awareness of the shock waves of bereavement. Balancing the emotional complexity is Chris Manley’s refreshingly unaffected cinematography; the drama of a free kick, like that of a good movie, is best viewed through a steady lens." [ [http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/05/31/movies/01grac.html Soccer Dreams and Family Tensions] ] Bill Zwecker of the "Chicago Sun Times", stated that "It's a sweet and uplifting film, and though quite predictable, gives us a family drama that showcases simple truths about overcoming seemingly impossible odds and leaves you with a warm and very satisfying feeling deep down. It's a solid, hopeful and inspiring story that reminds us of what we might call "old-fashioned" values about perseverance and making your dreams come true. Old- fashioned? Not at all." [ [http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/movies/408618,WKP-News-gracie01.article 'Gracie' uplifting family fare] ]

Owen Gleiberman of "Entertainment Weekly" argued that, "in 1978, a high school girl playing competitive soccer wasn't just novel — it was barely heard of. This amiable rouser, based on the experiences of Elisabeth Shue and her family tries to convey how gutsy and role-smashing it is for [...] Gracie to cleat her way onto an all-boys soccer team. So why is Gracie as processed as an after-school special? You miss the knockabout edge of "Bend It Like Beckham" — though the ending, in its Pavlovian sports-flick way, pumps you up." [ [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20040676,00.html Review of "Gracie"] ] Scott Tobias of the "The A.V. Club" suggested that, "though "Gracie" fashions Shue's story into ready-made inspirational formula, it's nonetheless vivid in its particulars, from the looks and sounds of late-'70s New Jersey to the portrait of a soccer-driven family reformed by loss." [ [http://www.avclub.com/content/node/62279 Review of "Gracie"] from "The A.V. Club"] Lael Loewenstein of the "Los Angeles Times" stated that "Gracie" is "an earnest, well-acted, poignant drama that nevertheless runs afoul of sports movie clichés." [ [http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-et-gracie1jun01,0,7598824.story Review of "Gracie"] from the "Los Angeles Times"]

The film received a 59% rating from Rotten Tomatoes (51 "fresh" and 35 "rotten" reviews). [ [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gracie/ Gracie @ Rotten Tomatoes] ]

Awards

*Heartland Film Festival, "Truly Moving Sound Award" [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0441007/awards Truly Moving Sound Award] ]

oundtrack

The soundtrack contains a number of popular classic rock songs, many of which are from the year 1978.

ongs included in the CD

The CD was released in 2007 by Lakeshore Records. [ [http://www.amazon.com/Gracie-Original-Soundtrack/dp/B000PAAIL6 Gracie Soundtrack] ]

*"Don't Look Back" - "Boston"
*"Fox On The Run" - "Sweet"
*"Rock Steady" - "Aretha Franklin"
*"Funk # 49" - "The James Gang"
*"Hanging on the Telephone" - "Blondie"
*"Jailbreak" - "Thin Lizzy"
*"Free Ride" - "Edgar Winter"
*"Born Under The Wrong Sign" - "Nazareth"
*"Jackie Blue" - "Ozark Mountain Daredevils"
*"You Are the Woman" - "Firefall"
*"The Tonight Show" - "Doc Severinsen & The Tonight Show Band"
*"Heart Of Glass" - "Blondie"
*"Bad Intentions" - "Dweezil Zappa"

ongs not included in the CD

*"Growin' Up" - "Bruce Springsteen"

ee also

* List of women warriors in folklore, literature, and popular culture
* Title IX
* "Bend it Like Beckham"

References

External links

* [http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200705/20070521_shue.html Elizabeth Shue interview on "Gracie"] - PBS
* [http://www.beliefnet.com/story/219/story_21934.html Andrew Shue interview on "Gracie"]
* [http://www.youthfilmproject.org/documents/GracieDiscussionGuide.pdf Gracie group discussion guide]
*MySpace|graciethemovie
* [http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/how-gracie-works.htm How "Gracie" Works] from HowStuffWorks