Gracie

Carly Schroeder. I consider Lizzie McGuire to have some retrograde aspects, grit stemming from the blatant vengeance culture approach of Lizzie's family. It was a step towards me considering modern Disney to be highly suspicious, but a few years on and I have to find Disney's Lizzie McGuire, also Nickelodeon's Zoey 101, still to be head and shoulders better than most other television series for kids that I have on DVD. Carly occasionally appearing as 'Melanoma', a memorable and very beautiful but scary friend of Lizzie's scary little brother.

The past two years I have looked to see if Carly had anything else out on disk. I found Firewall, which did not appeal to me. Now I have obtained this.

This story shows that she can handle a very different role to Melina. Not that all who have commented on this would agree. In this her beauty is usually tamed down but she is trying to head in directions that often feel to be sensible. The people around her have different understandings of sensible. For me, this is the power of the story.

There is a lot of grit in this story as well. It is based on the 1970's and the males remind me of the males in such as Detroit Rock City, alien and really vomit level aggressive cavemen. The football field is not understood as a place with rules of good conduct, it is more a battlefield where the opposition are tough and players are tough even to players on their own team who they do not consider to rate good conduct. They are supposed to be tough, skilled but tough. This would never be a Dr Spock understanding of manly male? This is nothing like the bits of football or UK rugby league that I used to occasionally go to in the 1960's.

It reminds me of the world of battling 'heroes' that I occasionally noticed in sports posters, local UK in the 1990's. An alien world. In the UK 1970's I did not notice the violence in people, it was there but more a hidden thing, silent and deadly.

In this, lead character Gracie is damaged by the violence, it knocks her down for more than half a year. She shows herself as having what it takes to gradually become a survivor. For me that is not the important part of the story, what counts more as this being a story that I can find okay on a second or third viewing. It is an okay way to pass the time.

Add the soundtrack including the sort of 1970's related music that I can rate as hot.

The bird is an American Kestral, aka American Sparrowhawk. A young male, not European but very common in the USA. The commentaries add detail. These are more real than one's average commentary.

When high school soccer star Johnny Bowen is killed in a car crash, his grieving kid sister vows to keep his memory alive by taking his place on the team. But first Gracie will have to overcome the strenuous objections of both the coach and her own misogynistic father to her plan.

Although it has many of the hallmarks of a Lifetime Original Movie - souped-up gender conflict, an overdose of sentimental uplift, and a plucky, inspirational heroine at its core - "Gracie," which is set in late 1970's New Jersey, transcends many of its stereotypes and clichés through heartfelt performances, unpretentious writing and earnest direction.

Carly Schroeder has grit and charm to spare as the indomitable Gracie, while Dermot Mulroney and Elizabeth Shue acquit themselves nicely as her ultimately supportive parents.

It's true that "Gracie" provides us with nothing we haven't seen a thousand times before - from "The Karate Kid" to "Bend it Like Beckham" - but inspirational-sports-movie fans should still find themselves cheering on this latest underdog story.

As the father of a daughter, I am always looking for the kind of film that matter-of-factly informs girls that, through desire and plain hard work, you can achieve your goals. That is a common, obvious message, but ask yourself how many movies are delivering that message to girls without also referring, whether overtly or by implication, to appearance and sexuality. The universe of those films is tiny. Well, finally, here is one!! Unfortunately, this movie was marketed poorly and did not do well at the box office. That does not mean, however, that it should die on the vine as a DVD. If you think a simple positive message of grit and determination for girls is worthy of wide distribution, then its going to take word of mouth to do it, because clearly the studios don't care. Spread the word about Gracie!!

Gracie is a great, family film. Gracie is played beautifully by Carly Shroeder as a girl surround by three soccer-playing brothers, Johnny, Mike, and Dan. The film opens as her brother has her kick a soccer ball barefoot to hit an empty bottle on top of the car. This film is set in South Orange, New Jersey in 1978 and is inspired by the events of the Shue family. Elisabeth Shue plays the mom and school nurse at Columbia High School in South Orange which does exist and whose alumni includes the Shues and Zach Braff. South Orange is also an upscale suburb of New York City and Newark, New Jersey. At the time of the movie set in 1978, an average dual income working class couple with four children could live comfortably there. South Orange has become an upscale white collar community ever since 1978 to feature celebrity residents like Kelly Bishop and Andre Braugher. Also, South Orange is home to Seton Hall University. The film was filmed on location around New Jersey including Maplewood where we see Gracie running on a downtown street. It was a family affair in the filming process including Elisabeth Shue not only as an actress but as an executive producer along with her husband and director, Davis Guggenheim. Her brother Andrew Shue plays an assistant soccer coach and history teacher. In real life, Andrew played soccer too. Dermot Mulroney is terrific as the father, coach, and moving man in his profession. At first, the family has a star, Johnny Bowen, but tragedy strikes the family. We see Gracie rebelling against her parents who are already heartbroken with despair over their loss as well. The two younger brothers seem unaffected at least in the movie. Gracie has one best female friend who is afraid of being labeled a lesbian because of her association with Grace. She decides one night to take her brother's spot on the team much to her father's laugh. She is serious but rather than prepare and strive. She rebels, dates a boy, fails history, and plays hooky at Asbury Park with a college boy. Until her father decides that he will coach her to get on the team, there are difficulties since she is a girl but she is determined and the film is not entirely predictable. It is a family oriented. It's just in time for Father's Day! The film is somewhat believable and realistic at times. They do their best to maintain the authenticity of the time and playing Bruce Springsteen songs as well. I admire the Shues for their determination in making the film entirely on location in New Jersey keeping with their roots. Stay until the end of the credits, you will be interested to see what it has to say. I like this film overall and it's message is that a girl can do it too.

Carly Schroeder has made, with this little film, perhaps the most pure-hearted big screen debut I've ever seen. The only other movie I can think of to rival this is "Whale Rider" and Keisha Castle-Hughes performance. But I really think Carly has the edge here. It's as if she's plucked a dream out of the ether and made it palpable. It's what the great actresses do, and I'm betting this woman could easily outdo every major name out there, given the chance. She's instantly likable and she transmits emotions through her face, voice, and body like she was born to convince you of her champion heart.

This is not an easy role. It's quite physical and most women have a deep dislike for exercise and even competition. After all, women are like dune buggies; men are like Mack trucks. But the truth is soccer can be played and won with finesse and heart, though it takes a special sort. Someone who can bring a deft touch to her play just when she should be exhausted and beaten. And there's no question in my mind none of the current crop of starlets would have struggled to do half the job that Carly does here. There are very few camera tricks that only imply physicality in the direction, instead it's all there for real, in a way that completely blew me away. These people believed in this film and it's paid off big time.

No, Hollywood is not quite as astute or clever as it thinks it is, so Carly's future can't be assured. But if there were ever a promising beginning, this is it. This is one beautifully acted and directed movie that I'm very sorry I didn't see when it first came out. I've no idea why it's not rated higher here. With all the ugliness we have to contend with, you'd think these armchair critics would be forced to let a breath of fresh air in. I'm guessing they're too far gone. I, on the other hand, think Carly has created, out of an impossibly pure and quite visible heart, one of the most memorable and believable female heroines I have ever seen.