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 Keeping with the outdated theme, there's a pear shaped friend that looks like a roadie from a 80's garage band that never quite made it out of the garage.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.

It wasn't hard to keep my attention for 2 hours lol! Shannon Brown gives me all the feels in all the places and as the main character, I'm pretty sure he's in every scene including a couple that made me envious of the actresses with him /you'll know what I mean when you watch/ I wouldn't mind switching places with them in a couple of those scenes and I also wouldn't mind if the actor playing Brown's best friend joined us. Mr. Chase, I would happily Chase you around, but I digress, lol.

Let me go ahead and park my hormones and get to the film itself. This is really an intense, beautiful story that certainly tugs at your heart strings. Eye pleasure aside, Shannon Brown masterfully carries the film. There is something very raw and authentic about his acting that's very alluring and he needed every bit of it for this challenging role. There are some tear jerker intense moments that he makes you almost feel through the screen. This seems to be a popular opinion as he added more best actor awards to his already impressive cache thanks to his performance in this role, which isn't surprising to any of us that follow his work.

Heidi Kurzejka is also very easy to like, it doesn't take long at all to connect with her, she has some delivery and expressions that are very natural, especially when she encounter's the main character's annoying friend who shows up uninvited along with an annoying ex that was also not invited. She impressed me and I'll keeping an eye out for more of her work. Quite a bit of steam when her and Brown are together, I had to pause the movie and have a cigarette and I don't even smoke, lol. She's a new face worth following.

Aside from being an obvious steamboat, the actor playing the best friend Chase is very likeable and relatable. He is the wise, trustworthy and calming force for Brown in a sea of chaotic characters. There is also a girl next door character that ends up vital to this story, she is also very easy to like and relate to. Then there's a homeless character that pops in and out that is also very likeable, kinda like a cool grandpa vibe. At first I got the feeling that it was the Chase character from the future, but it was not.

This story is very good, but one thing that gets me is that they advertise it as a true story but I haven't seen anywhere about who the true story is based on. That's kinda the allure of a true story is you get to find out who Lucas is based on. A small gripe, but it did bother me a little. There are also a couple pacing issues and there is a definite lack of production value but I think the story and performances are more than enough to overcome that.

There are a couple characters that I could have done without that really didn't bring much to the experience. One of the dates comes off as holier than thou, really annoying. I would assume most of us don't like people like that, I was kinda hoping she'd choke on a crouton. Also one of the friends was way over the top, seemed forced and distracting and also very annoying. It seemed like he was doing his own little skit while the rest of the characters were telling the story. He had a creepy Three Stooges vibe which isn't really funny if there is only one stooge. Thankfully both of these characters have really small roles and it doesn't hurt the overall story.

Luckily for the producers, none of these issues are enough to take away from a really heartfelt and beautiful story. I've never heard of the director, but overall he should be proud of this and i'll keep an eye out for any other work he's done. Plenty of positives that make this an indie worth picking up for sure.

Shannon brown didnt sell me on his acting...he tried to hard and really under acted on the emotional parts of the movie...the beginning was dragged out and the emotional parts didnt feel real enough to engage me of feeling the way it should.... he needs to take more sensitivity acting classes or watch more movies for research to engage the audience.

This movie was okay. There were parts that seemed really drawn out and unnecessary like the very long wedding reception, the cemetery scenes that went on and on (who really needs cry and look up at the sky that much? Seriously... once would've been enough), I found myself more annoyed than sympathetic. There were also a lot of sex scenes which would've been okay in another movie but the title for this is "Without Grace" and has religious undertones. I found the sex scenes tasteless for the premise of the film.

I did find some parts delightful. The character of Razor was hands down one of the best and funniest characters introduced. I was actually laughing out loud rather than snickering. I also loved the Terry character. His few scenes were great. I'd really like to see a montage of Terry's dancing from the wedding, I may have enjoyed the pointlessness of the scene more had that been in there.

The lead actor was okay. Not great, not terrible, and not nearly hot enough for it not to matter. He has some promise once he's finished a few more acting classes and learns how to not over-dramatize things. I'd hire him as the lead in a high school play.

The main actresses were decent for the parts they played though the one who showed true talent was the one who played Brooklyn.

The writing had some promise but overall could've used a little more work. Too much was drawn out, lots of forced scenes, and I couldn't really connect with the main character. Not sure if I should be blaming the writing, the directing, the editing, the acting, or a combination of all.

With everything being said, it was entertaining enough to finish. It's best selling point is that it's loosely based on a true story and has some comedic value.

Summary: Entertaining enough.

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.