‘Gracie’
“Gracie,” which is set in 1978 in New Jersey, is based on the real-life experiences of actress Elisabeth Shue. When she tried to join her high school varsity soccer team, she was told to go off and do something feminine. Like field hockey. It was obviously an all-boys team and there was no girls’ soccer team. As was the case at many high schools across the country.
In Guggenheim’s entertaining and uplifting movie Gracie Bowen wants to play soccer for personal reasons, not political ones. But when she meets resistance from almost every quarter, including her soccer-smart dad, who initially refuses to coach her, the personal, out of necessity, becomes political. Which is what occurs in most of these movies.
Sixteen-year-old Schroeder, who plays Gracie, has the refreshing appeal and straightforward acting style of Helen Slater. Unlike so many other pretty blondes her age, Schroeder never comes off as false, as someone manufactured for a certain marketing demographic. The young star gets excellent support from Mulroney, from Shue herself as Gracie’s concerned but feisty mother, and from Shue’s brother, Andrew, that would be “Melrose Place’s” Billy Campbell, as one of the coaches. Billy Campbell was also the man who produced and wrote the story for this movie.
There’s nothing startling about “Gracie” per se, but it manages to do formula without becoming too formulaic, be a feel-good flick without being too much into the feel-good. This is a decent movie, an honest movie, one that routinely sets up triumph-of-the-underdog moments, then gives them a small twist. Gracie doesn’t always make the Big Kick or Show the Coaches or Wow the Boys. She’s a normal, talented kid who gets frustrated and can even be a crybaby, but also has an all-important rock-bottom resilience that will surprise you.