A movie or a PSA?
Added 10/26/2009
A very nice family movie that is great for those looking to get into/already involved with adoption. Felt that it was almost more of a "adopt-a-child" drama-mentary rather than an ingenious piece of film making. Don't get me wrong, it was a nice attempt at a movie, and did a great job at displaying the trials of adopting kids...but was so light in anything of substance that I almost forgot I was watching a movie and started to reach for the phone to donate to a local adoption agency. That might be the point of the movie, and if so, it succeeded. Great for soccer mom's and family's, and I'm sure Lifetime will enjoy replaying this movie on their network until it becomes more stale than "Golden Girls."
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
As human as it can be
Added 10/1/2009
As good as it can get. This is a great movie, its a shame that it did not do well @ the box office. But this is a big company mistake, for just betting to high FX, Action movies.
This is definately a movie that has much to learn from. It's fun, entertaining very touchy at times, but very well achieved storyline. Moreover, is not a tiresome movie, and it really gets your attention at all times.
All actors acchieve their role perfectly and do some of the best performances ever seing.
A must on you DVD shelf.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
I have not received the DVD.
Added 9/20/2009
The DVD I ordered have not come yet. Since I ordered, it is almost 1 month. The price of DVD was charged on my credit card altough I did not receive it. Amzon does not show the contact information and I have no way. So I will discuss about this with my credit campany or others. Please send the DVD to my house ( my house address is correct), or return my money.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
This is one of my new favorite movies. While I loved it as an adult I beleive the entire family would also enjoy it. Don't hesitate to get this movie. I watched it multiple times. You will fall in love with Martian Child!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
An intelligent, touching, decent movie
Added 8/22/2009
I really enjoyed this movie. It is the moving story of a widowed man who wants to adopt a child. He and his late wife had planned on adopting but never got around to. The film contains the note that it is based on real incidents. Don't fall into the trap of believing that this is a true story. "Based on" simply means that whoever created the movie knew of someone, somewhere, who adopted a troubled kid. Building a movie on a basic premise like that is common. Don't believe for a minute that "base on" means that this story is true. John Cusack plays the prospective father and his real life sister Joan Cusack plays his less than fully supportive sister in the film. It is a joy to see them playing siblings and makes the relationship that much more believable. The storyline has been rehashed on this forum numerous times so I won't repeat it. I appreciate that this movie focused on the story of the man and the boy without resorting to the inclusion of meaningless profanity and sideline stories involving sex. This is an enjoyable, clean, decent movie.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
An amazing emotional film
Added 11/20/2009
Grace is Gone does for the tear jerker genre what Paranormal Activity did for scary movies. It's a film that actually comes through on its premise. John Cusack is far outside of his normal character and an emotional freight train. The two girls that play his daughters are each in their own rights charming, believable and devastating. I love this movie even though it is one of the hardest things I've ever watched. I couldn't wait to purchase this masterpiece so my wife could watch it as I knew it would devastate her as it had me. Nothing like torturing the wife!!!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
A one-note expression of grief that never seems to register...
Added 10/27/2009
I've been anticipating this movie since, well, early 2007 when John Cusack was rumored to be heading for an Oscar nomination. I have never really been a huge Cusack fan (at least not John, for I have always adored his sister Joan) but there was something about the plot and concept of this film that just really spoke to me. I love these somber character studies, and grief is one of the most emotionally connective ways to study someone's character.
Conceptually, `Grace is Gone' has promise, but the way in which the film is constructed turns that promise in an empty gesture.
The film revolves around Stanley Phillips, a former soldier who, because of poor eyesight, has been reduced to department store manager. While his wife is overseas, fighting the war he wishes he could fight, Stanley raises their two daughters, Heidi and Dawn. When word comes that Grace, his wife, has died, Stanley struggles with his own feelings as well as when and how to tell his daughters. Instead of just `telling' them, Stanley decides to take them on a trip, driving from Minnesota to Florida to visit a theme park.
For me, and I know I'm in the minority here, the film feels very bland. It comes across like a `made for television' movie, very middle of the road and amateurish. The performances are all decent, but nothing truly admirable (except Alessandro Nivola, who has a small but important part, and he plays it flawlessly). John Cusack's approach to grief is very one-note. He just looks grumpy throughout the entire film. In fact, the films conclusion is the only part to remotely works for me, for it shows a father actually being a father. Yes, I understand that grief is a very tumultuous thing, and it affects people differently; I just wish that Cusack had found the layers within his character. It is preposterous to conclude that his daughters wouldn't figure out what was going on; I mean, their father doesn't even shower. It was an overstated depiction of grief to me. I have seen people shut down when a loved one dies, but when you have children you can't really `shut down' to the extent that Stanley does.
It feels like a performance, not something genuine. Watch Tom Wilkinson in `In the Bedroom' for an accurate and stunning portrayal of grief.
The other aspect of the film that I found rather distracting was the way it couldn't clearly decide what film it wanted to be. It fluctuated between a film about grief to a film about war, and I think that the political stand it was trying to make actually took away from the film. It is a part of Stanley that needed to be expressed in order to flesh out his character, and so I respect that decision, but they needed more time to make it feel more than just a random expression. The film is barely over an hour in length and so it almost feels simplistic, never really `going there' as it needed to in order to make either of the films two primary topics connect with the viewer.
I've read some complaints (not here necessarily) about the way in which the climax is delivered to the audience. Personally, the films conclusion is the best part of the film. The way the dialog is stripped during the theme park scene (and another pertinent scene) and the facial expressions (happy or sad) are allowed to do all the talking for us was truly inspired and beautifully tailored to elicit our deepest emotional sympathies. Yes, I broke down in tears at the final scene (which did feel more manipulated than anything else) but one small speckle of brilliance (I don't consider the manipulated emotions brilliance, but the two scenes leading up to it are) doesn't make the film worth watching. There are far better films that tackle this subject (`In the Bedroom' for one) and so I'd recommend you watch one of those.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
A Story About the Side of War That's Rarely Discussed
Added 9/19/2009
This heart-wrenching movie is beautiful and brilliant on so many levels. I went into this movie expecting an anti-war story, knowing about Cusack's politics and agreeing with what I know of them. What really struck me though is that the movie was very subtle with its opinions, and it showed sides of the war that's rarely talked about or discussed.
In the months leading up to the Iraq war, I remember the media hyping it up (pushed by the Bush administration), and "pro-war" protesters being out on the streets. I was amazed that people were actually PUSHING for this country to go to war - which would lead to inevitable suffering and loss for both the people of our country and the people of Iraq. This movie is one story about such a loss, from the perspective of an American family.
It specifically focuses on a man with two daughters who is informed that his wife was killed in battle in Iraq (something a bit unique in itself, since most people stereotypically think of military widows rather than widowers). Cusack's character is on the conservative side; having voted for Bush, being very pro-military (having been in the military himself previously but was forced to leave for medical reasons) - and he was a strong believer in the Iraq war and was proud to see his wife go to fight for her country. He never expected the shock of having uniformed soldiers show up and tell him that his wife has died. The rest of the movie has him struggling to figure out how to tell his daughters the worst news of their lives, knowing that the moment he tells them, their lives will be forever changed. He takes them on a spontaneous trip to "Enchanted Gardens" (a theme park that is supposed to represent Disney World). He's trying to enjoy a few more moments of joy with them until he's forced to give them the horrible news that will bring their world crashing down, and he himself will be forced to deal with the reality of the situation.
The movie has various scenes which bring tears to one's eyes, e.g. him calling home to listen to his wife's voice on the answering machine, and leaving a message begging her to help him explain to his kids what has happened. The acting was fantastic - Cusack's character, his anti-war / anti-Bush brother, and the two daughters were portrayed excellently by the respective actors and actresses.
The movie was released awhile back now, but retrospectively now that more truths have come out about the U.S. going to war under false pretenses etc etc, the movie really drives home the point that it's people such as these families who really got screwed over. They supported the Bush administration and firmly believed in the all the lies - not because they were bad people, but because they were naive. In one scene the older daughter asks her father about the controversy - that some people were saying that the war was unjustified, etc. And the father's response was "you just have to believe that we're doing the right thing". She asks in response "what if you can't believe?" The father responds "Then....all is lost." This is the dilemma of the truly moral conservatives that supported the war-dodging president (and VP) that sent thousands of Americans to die for his neo-con agenda. The truth is too unbearable to face, especially for those who have lost loved ones. Despite the circumstances and politics that led to the war though, these topics are overshadowed by the topic of heroism of soldiers and their families, and the unfathomable loss they endure when tragedy strikes. When he finally tells his girls that their mother has died, I wanted to cry with them.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
