Amazing Grace and Chuck

Provided you are capable of a "willful suspension of disbelief" regarding the implausible plot premise, this is a delightful movie. Truly one of the best kid's movies of all-time (right up there with "The Sandlot").

This movie combines some well-known stars (Gregory Peck, Jamie Lee Curtis, and William Peterson) with some surprising debuts (Joshua Zuehlke as Chuck and former NBA great, Alex English, as Amazing).

The story is heart-warming, with some genuine tear-jerkers, and the closing is uplifting (though a tad predictable). There are some surprises, a few quotable lines, and lots of inspiring moments.

I can't recommend this enough, if you want to believe that anyone can make a difference in this mixed-up world of ours.

I had a very different take on this movie than the previous commenter. I first watched the movie as an adult, with my 7-ish year old daughter and a couple of friends. Though somewhat simplistic in nature, the themes are pretty deep. I view the movie as a kind of audio-visual poem, a Tale rather than a mere story. Not that it's the best movie of all time (sorry, Lawrence of Arabia gets that award from me), but I always highly recommend it because the core ideas are interesting, and the story is told in such a peaceful, respectful way.

Though the plot is definitely tied to the decades old hostilities between the U.S. and the now-defunct Soviet Union (which fell about 4 years after this film was released), the problem of powerful entities at a stand-off is (sadly) a repeating one.I recommend it for any age, but it's definitely aimed at presenting adult themes to young minds.

... about Little League baseball pitcher Chuck (Joshua Zuehlke) who, after taking a tour of a nuclear missile silo, has a terrible dream about nuclear Armageddon that inspires him to refuse to pitch anymore games as long as nuclear missiles exist in the world.

His story gets picked up nationally, where it strikes a chord with NBA superstar "Amazing Grace" Smith (Alex English). He decides to refuse to play as well, and he moves to Chuck's small hometown. They are soon joined by more professional athletes, as the world's sportspeople all take up the cause. Their innocent campaign has consequences, though, such as angry locals, as well as disapproval from the highest levels of power.

Co-starring William L. Petersen and Frances Conroy as Chuck's parents, Jamie Lee Curtis as Amazing Grace's sports agent, Lee Richardson as a shady financier and power-broker, and, in his first big screen role in 7 years, Gregory Peck as the U.S. president.

This is silly stuff, operating at a child's level of naivete. The message is a nice one, if in no way practical. There were a few of these anti-nuke films in the waning days of the Cold War, and most were terrible. The acting is passable in this one, if nothing memorable, and there aren't any stand-out moments scriptwise, either. It's technically well-made, with Robert Elswit on cinematography and Elmer Bernstein providing the score.

Possibly worth it for a historical perspective, albeit a pedestrian one.

Interesting concept for a story that is never fully realized by the end of the film. The relationship between the pro basketball player and his young fan has a father-son feel to it that would be used again with more depth ten years later in Donnie Brasco(1997). Mike Newell gives an interesting message about the fight and sacrifices one takes for his/her cause. Wonderfull use of famous sports athletes and anouncers as themselves. Alex English does alright in the role of the fictional famous Pro basketball player, Amazing Grace. Amazing Grace & Chuck(1987) is a good family film but average as an experience in film viewing.

I saw this movie years ago and have never forgotten it.

The story is of a young boy protesting nuclear weapons by refusing to play Little League baseball. Professional players join in his fight when they hear of his cause. While in this day and age its somewhat unlikely, it offers a great feeling of hope, of truly believing in something, and sacrificing luxuries for the greater good of the world. I love this movie, its not flashy but it touches the heart. Maybe I am a sap, but I don't think I have had one viewing of this movie without being brought to tears. See this movie at least once. Its worth it.

If you show this movie to your children, there is an emotional (but not graphic) death in this movie.