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"GRACIE" (2007) (Carly Schroeder, Dermot Mulroney) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Mild Mild Heavy Minor None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate None None Minor Mild Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate Minor Heavy Heavy Mild QUICK TAKE: Drama: Following her older brother's death, a late 1970s era high school student must overcome various personal and external obstacles as she tries to make the boys soccer team. PLOT: It's 1978, and the South Orange, NJ Bowen family is obsessed with soccer. With the help of dad Bryan (DERMOT MULRONEY), oldest son Johnny (JESSE LEE SOFFER) has become a star on the high school squad, inspiring his younger brothers Mike (HUNTER SCHROEDER) and Daniel (TREVOR HEINS). His closest sibling, however, is teenager Grace (CARLY SCHROEDER), who, despite having a knack for the game, has been shut out from family practices, much like her mom Lindsay (ELISABETH SHUE). The family is shattered when Johnny's killed in a car accident, eventually prompting Grace to decide she wants to try out for the boys soccer team, not only to honor her brother and keep the family tradition alive, but also to prove she can do it. Unfortunately, no one thinks she can or should, including her dad, Coach Colasanti (JOHN DOMAN), and current player Kyle (CHRISTOPHER SHAND) who initially appears as if he likes her, but then proceeds to antagonize her from that point on. However, with the support of family friend and current player Peter (JOSHUA CARAS), as well as her mom and eventually her dad, Grace sets out to make the team, no matter the number or severity of the obstacles she must overcome. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Tween and younger teenage girls might be interested in it, especially if they're into soccer. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For brief sexual content. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: CARLY SCHROEDER plays a 1970s era teenager who decides to try out for the boys soccer team after her older brother's tragic death. She must overcome various obstacles while doing so, including from her family. She fools around with some boys, develops a rebellious and bad attitude when things don't go her way, and briefly uses profanity. DERMOT MULRONEY plays her dad, a former soccer star turned unofficial coach to the kids. He's shattered when his son is killed in a car accident, and is then reluctant to allow Grace to try out for the team. He eventually changes his mind, however, and helps train her. ELISABETH SHUE plays his wife, a nurse who somewhat feels left out from the rest of the soccer-obsessed family, and is concerned about Grace trying out for the team. She uses some profanity. JOHN DOMAN plays the coach of the boys soccer team who initially doesn't want Grace to try out for the team, but then reluctantly allows her to do so. JESSE LEE SOFFER plays Grace's closest sibling, a talented player who's killed in a car accident. JOSHUA CARAS plays his teammate and family friend who tries to support Grace's quest. HUNTER SCHROEDER and TREVOR HEINS play Grace's younger siblings who give her a hard time in the tradition of younger brothers. CHRISTOPHER SHAND plays another player who initially seems interested in Grace, but then turns on her and behaves like a jerk, particularly regarding her attempt to make the boys team. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this drama that's rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 3 "s" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Some non-explicit, but sexually related dialogue is present, as are some scenes featuring teens fooling around, while some teens are seen in small and/or revealing attire. Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, while tense family material includes an unseen, accidental death, as well as tension between a teenage girl and her father. Some physical contact on and off the soccer field occurs (with some bloody results), and there's brief drinking and smoking (the latter involving teens). Finally, some behavior might be enticing for some kids to imitate. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's some handheld camerawork in the film (mainly in the games). ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE We see Bryan with a beer in front of him. Miscellaneous people drink beer. Bryan has a beer. BLOOD/GORE One player has a days-old cut and bruise on his face (presumably from the car accident that killed Johnny). About some hard exercising, Grace says she thinks she's going to "puke," with her dad telling her to do so, but she doesn't. Grace's palm appears bloody after Kyle pushes her down to some pavement and she scrapes her hand on it. Grace has a bloody nose after Kyle purposefully strikes her there during tryouts. We later see blood on the towel she holds to her bloody nose, as well as blood on the top of her jersey. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Grace's younger brother jokes that girls lose their brains as their boobs grow, with another joking that she must really be smart. She then takes some food that she says is for "maximum boob growth." Bryan won't let Grace participate in his practices with Johnny and his younger brothers (which frustrates Grace). When Grace tells her family she has an announcement, one of her younger brothers jokes that it's that she got her period. When Grace tells her family she's going to try out for the boys soccer team, her brothers and even her dad laugh or chuckle about that. That causes Grace to be upset, particularly with her dad. Grace and Kyle do some passionate kissing while standing (she in a short skirt), but she walks away when he laughs after she asks about girls and soccer. Grace and Kyle passionately kiss while standing, and he asks, "Are we gonna do this?" (have sex). Moments later, they're still at it, and he says, "Let's do this" as he tries to start to undress her, but she stops him and walks away. He then loudly announces to his friends, "I told you a Bowen can't go all the way," adding that one of them owes him $20, and we see that others (including girls) also bet money on that. Grace develops a bad attitude toward everyone and everything, including her parents, and starts doing badly at school, all because things don't go her way. Grace and her friend take her parents' car without permission and drive to the beach. Both Grace and her friend shoplift in a store. About Grace trying out for the boys soccer team, her friend tells her she's committing social suicide. She then adds that girls their age who play sports are considered "lesbos" and that if the others think she's a "dyke," they probably do the same about her (the friend) by association. About Grace playing soccer with the boys, one of them says, "She must have some natural talent in that rack." They (and especially Kyle) then make fun of her, with Kyle then pushing her down to the pavement face-first, causing her palms to scrape across it. Kyle continues to be a jerk toward Grace throughout the film. Another player purposefully trips Grace during some tryouts. Another purposefully runs into her, while Kyle purposefully strikes her in the face while going to head the ball, bloodying her nose. Since she made JV rather than varsity, Grace has a bad attitude about that, including toward her dad and coach. Despite trying to make the team, and then after having done so, Grace is habitually late to practice and then a match. FRIGHTENING SCENES Grace spray paints some graffiti on a tunnel wall and doesn't care that an oncoming car nearly hits her. GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Life's a big sh*t-sandwich and we all have to take a bite," "Chick," "Where the hell were you?" "Maximum boob growth," "Screw dad," "You really sucked out there (said playfully), "Beat those bastards," "That's crap," "Dumbo (junior)," "Are you crazy?" "What is up with you?" "Who the hell is that?" "Punk," "What the hell /were you thinking/was that/are you doing?" "Where have you been my entire freakin' life?" "Shut up," "They're both delusional," "Jerk," "Lesbos," "Dykes," "Smoked him," "Cuz they were kissing my butt," "Bite me," "That's cuz you have got your head up your ass," "Screw you," "That's coaching crap," "I'm not a moron" and "Big freaking mistake." As part of a bet, Johnny gets Grace to kick a soccer ball and knock a bottle off a parked car. Grace sneaks out at night (and ditches her coat) to go on a date with Kyle in her short skirt. Grace spray paints some graffiti on a tunnel wall and doesn't care that an oncoming car nearly hits her. Grace and her friend wear midriff-revealing tops, and we can see the shape of the friend's nipples under her top. We see miscellaneous graffiti. Grace and her friend take her parents' car without permission and drive to the beach. Both Grace and her friend shoplift in a store. Grace wears a midriff-revealing top and small cut-off shorts. A young man has a tattoo on his shoulder. Bryan tries to get Grace to catch a raw egg on the top of her foot without the egg breaking. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) A song (by KC and the Sunshine Band) has the lyric, "Do a little dance, make a little love, get down tonight." PROFANITY At least 3 "s" words, 3 slang terms for breasts ("boob(s)" and "rack"), 5 hells, 2 craps, 2 damns and 1 ass. SEX/NUDITY Grace's younger brother jokes that girls lose their brains as their boobs grow, with another joking that she must really be smart. She then takes some food that she says is for "maximum boob growth." When Grace mentions having Kyle as her potential boyfriend, her friend says he's going to have expectations (meaning sexual). Lindsay shows a little cleavage. Grace and Kyle do some passionate kissing while standing (she in a short skirt), but she walks away when he laughs after she asks about girls and soccer. Grace and her friend wear midriff-revealing tops, and we can see the shape of the friend's nipples under her top. A song (by KC and the Sunshine Band) has the lyric, "Do a little dance, make a little love, get down tonight." We see miscellaneous cleavage in a dance club. Grace and Kyle passionately kiss while standing, and he asks, "Are we gonna do this?" (have sex). Moments later, they're still at it, and he says, "Let's do this" as he tries to start to undress her, but she stops him and walks away. He then loudly announces to his friends, "I told you a Bowen can't go all the way," adding that one of them owes him $20, and we see that others (including girls) also bet money on that. We briefly see Grace and her friend lying down, sunbathing in bikinis. Grace wears a midriff-revealing top and small cut-off shorts. Grace's friend makes out with a guy at the beach, prompting Grace to off with that guy's friend. They end up in the backseat of a car where they make out, the guy's shirt comes off, and he gets on top of her (she's still clothed). A knock at the window (by a cop and Bryan finding them) puts an end to that. Grace shows some cleavage. About Grace playing soccer with the boys, one of them says, "She must have some natural talent in that rack." Lindsay shows some cleavage. Grace changes clothes in the back of her dad's car and has him hand her bra to her (we don't see anything but the bra transfer). SMOKING Grace's friend teaches her how to "look good" while smoking (and both hold lit cigarettes). TENSE FAMILY SCENES Bryan won't let Grace participate in his practices with Johnny and his younger brothers (which frustrates Grace). Grace's family gets news that Johnny was killed in a car accident, and they all react accordingly then, the funeral, and then later (we see Grace slouched on the floor, Lindsay teary over the laundry, and Bryan tearing down part of the makeshift soccer goal in the backyard). When Grace tells her family she's going to try out for the boys soccer team, her brothers and even her dad laugh or chuckle about that. That causes Grace to be upset, particularly with her dad. About parenting their other kids, Lindsay tells Bryan she can't do it all herself, asks for his help, and walks away angry when she isn't satisfied by his answer. Grace has a bad attitude toward her parents when things don't go her way. About Bryan suddenly acting concerned about her, Grace yells at him, "Where have you been my entire freakin' life?" and that's followed by more arguing between them. Lindsay is upset with Bryan when he announces that he quit his job, but he says he's not going to lose another child (referring to Grace who he's now going to coach). Bryan says that his father never said anything to him (in terms of being supportive). TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Girls trying out for boys sports teams. Title IX. Bryan won't let Grace participate in his practices with Johnny and his younger brothers (which frustrates Grace). Deaths in families. Bryan tells Grace she isn't tough enough to play boys soccer. Lindsay tells Grace that not everything's possible. When Grace says it was for Johnny, Lindsay says that it's different for Grace since she's a girl. Grace develops a bad attitude toward everyone and everything, including her parents, and starts doing badly at school, all because things don't go her way. Bryan's father is an invalid who must be carried up to his room, etc. About Grace trying out for the boys soccer team, her friend tells her she's committing social suicide. She then adds that girls their age who play sports are considered "lesbos" and that if the others think she's a "dyke," they probably do the same about her (the friend) by association. The advice of not letting other people limit you. Despite trying to make the team, and then after having done so, Grace is habitually late to practice and then a match. VIOLENCE A boy pushes Grace to the ground as she tries to show her dad she can play soccer. Kyle pushes Grace down to the pavement face-first, causing her palms to scrape across it, bloodying them. Another player purposefully trips Grace during some tryouts. Another purposefully runs into her, while Kyle purposefully strikes her in the face while going to head the ball, bloodying her nose. There's contact during a soccer match, including the follow-through on a kick that hits Grace on the head (with the leg) as she's on the ground (dazing her). Reviewed May 1, 2007 / Posted June 1, 2007

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