Without Grace

I had tempered expectations going into this one. I couldn't sleep and was looking for a typical romantic sob story to pass out to. The lead guy on the poster was very attractive, he has a Vince Vaughn/Tom Hardy vibe that was worth the $4 in and of itself. I was half expecting it to be some Lifetime knock off movie and although it kinda starts down that path, there is a pretty intense shocker early on that steers the story in a direction that most will not expect.

The main actor, Shannon Brown, carries the film beautifully. He turns out to be much more than a typical movie heartthrob with no actual substance. There is depth and nuance to his layered performance that is easy to engage with as a viewer. This is a very challenging character that he pulls off masterfully. Hilary Anderson is also very powerful in this as the female lead. She is instantly likable and someone that is easy to pull for. She has a very grounded, earthy aspect to her performance which is very believable. The connection she shares with Brown is very strong and believable. Overall, the entire cast delivers with a couple of unfortunate exceptions. A couple of the supporting characters seem to cheapen the story and just seem out of place for this type of genre. There's a 40-50 yr old Goth dude that does a very dated and offensive gay/straight bit that I could have done without. Keeping with the outdated theme, there's a pear shaped friend that looks like a roadie from a 80's garage band that never quite made it out of the garage. This obvious amateur actor showcased forced, predictable cheap humor that also doesn't seem to fit the tone of the story. Speaking of creepers, there's an old guy that just kind of appears throughout although they do a decent job of justifying his presence at the end. I got a little annoyed when these characters were on the screen.

The production value is a bit lacking even for an indie, but overall this film was very well done. The story, the pace, the direction, the score and mainly the performances by the leads will keep you engaged. I am now a fan of both Shannon Brown and Hilary Anderson and I'll be on the lookout for other work they are featured in. I've never heard of the director, Matthew Cichella, but I will also be looking for other work of his. Without Grace isn't the typical chic flic I thought I was renting, but that's a good thing. Once I realized it was based on a true story, I actually watched it again and it was somehow even better the second time. Lose the Razor character and the Terry character and maybe dial down the creep factor a bit on the old homeless guy and this movie is a 10! Either way, I give it a well earned 8/10 and a strong recommendation. Overall its a worthy entry into the romantic drama genre category with a hint of faith based energy that will offend some but be very relatable to most.

Many who review...Sorry, you REALLY don't get it. The focus of ANY film/movie made should be entertainment value, flaws/no flaws and all.

Playing the Bartender in this, the experience was great because, like this film, there's a unique chemistry with everyone involved. My gripe is with the fades, if that's still there, too many at times that would help the story to keep going. And just a tad predictable...I've been told that, if the viewer can guess what's next, you've done it wrong.

But, this story shines. The love is there (especially as you see skin almost right away lol) there's inside jokes that work for this. But, this is all apart of what's to come from this great director. The cast really goes above to sell the story. That also really matters.

So I give this an 8 because it's almost flawless but still deserves more love then it's being given currently.

The entire movie was like a beginner's acting class. I almost bailed after the first 20... but I hung in there... it never got better. Most that was suppose to be funny was just plain corny... over and over......

This movie has you feeling what the actors are feeling. You have a range of emotions in 1 movie. You can sympathize with the characters because we've known people in our lives who are just like them.

I streamed this on Amazon with my girl, I was a little apprehensive as it screamed Hallmark movie and I was afraid I was about to regrettably lose 2 hours of my life that I'd never get back, thankfully it was not that at all. We are both fans of Shannon Brown and we've seen a lot of his work, so we knew there was a pretty good chance that we'd enjoy it even if the genre wasn't necessarily our cup of tea. Grace certainly had elements that could drive the story towards a Lifetime snooze fest, but the writer did a fine job of steering the ship in a unique, less predictable direction. There are a couple of twists that certainly come out of nowhere including one early in the story that hits like freight train. In addition to the writing, the cast was superb. Most of us are familiar with Shannon Brown, so making him your lead charged with carrying the story is a pretty safe choice and to noone's surprise I'm sure, he once again delivers as the main character. This was not an easy role, but Brown does a masterful job of keeping you engaged which is good because I think he's in every darn scene.

I enjoyed seeing Jimmy Tolliver back on the screen again with Brown. Their characters played really well of each other and Tolliver's comedic chops certainly provided much needed levity in this gut wrenching tear jerker.

Most of the cast was great, but I could have done without the Terry character. This actor looks like an extra from Trailer Park Boys, but his so called acting finds an even lower floor than that. His predictable cheap humor provides more of an unnecessary distraction rather than the intended levity that I assume was intended by the director as it's not the type of comedy that belongs in a story like this. Not sure if this is a case of bad acting or bad direction, I'm sure the answer is somewhere in between. Enough on that, back to the positives.

There is plenty of eye candy in this one, but the director does a great job of layering these characters and eliminating much of the typical stereotypes that usually accompany such characters. The brightest star among the supporting cast is Hilary Anderson, I dare you not to fall in love with her character. The chemistry between Brown and Anderson is electric, palpable and really what elevates this film to something much more than your typical indie fare. I'll say this, if these two ever co star in anything again, I will be first in line to pick it up.

Also of note, the score is very well done in this film. Don't turn it off too soon as the closing credit song is really darn good, wouldn't be surprised to hear that song on the radio in the near future.

Overall I give this film a strong endorsement especially given that the production team pulled this off with what is reportedly a very modest budget. Sharp storytelling coupled with very strong actors can elevate a typical low budget indie into a powerful entertainment experience and that is exactly what this film achieved. Kudos to everyone involved in this one.