'GRACIE' SCORES WITH WARMTH, DETERMINATION.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic lThere's a tough-minded authenticity The correct attribution of origin such as the authorship of an e-mail message or the correct description of information such as a data field that is properly named. Authenticity is one of the six fundamental components of information security (see Parkerian Hexad). at the center of the family movie "Gracie" that keeps it from being just another run-of-the-mill, inspirational in·spi·ra·tion·al adj. 1. Of or relating to inspiration. 2. Providing or intended to convey inspiration. 3. Resulting from inspiration. sports flick. The depth of emotion that comes through in Davis Guggenheim's fine film isn't surprising, since he is telling a fictionalized version of the story of his wife's youth and her family's ability to overcome a horrible loss. Guggenheim, who won the Oscar last year for directing the Al Gore Noun 1. Al Gore - Vice President of the United States under Bill Clinton (born in 1948) Albert Gore Jr., Gore global-warming doc "An Inconvenient in·con·ven·ient adj. Not convenient, especially: a. Not accessible; hard to reach. b. Not suited to one's comfort, purpose, or needs: inconvenient to have no phone in the kitchen. Truth," is married to actress Elisabeth Shue. He met Shue shortly after her older brother, William, died in an accident during a family vacation. All four Shue children played soccer; Elisabeth competed in a boys' league until she was 13. The main thrust of "Gracie" has the 15-year-old title character (a remarkable Carly Schroeder) trying to win a place on her school's varsity soccer team. She's doing this for three reasons -- to honor the legacy of her dead brother, to forge her own identity and to win the attention of her stern, sports-obsessed father (Dermot Mulroney Dermot Mulroney (born October 31, 1963) is an American actor. Biography Early life Mulroney was born in Alexandria, Virginia to Ellen, a housewife and amateur actress originally from Manchester, Iowa, and Michael Mulroney, a law professor at Villanova ). The strength of the film comes from the complexity of the relationship between the father and daughter. Dad has a hard time believing in his daughter, even as she goes further in her quest than he ever believed possible. His doubt never quite leaves, and Guggenheim uses it to give the movie a compelling tension. Sports rule the family. In an early scene, the mother (Shue, sharp as always) tries to steer steer castrated male cattle beast over a year of age. See also bullock, buller steer. steer bulling see bulling. steer Medtalk verb the dinner table conversation away from soccer. "Is there anything else to talk about?" comes the reply. Short answer: No. That passion initially makes a true relationship between the father and daughter impossible. But the movie also shows the power that sport has to transcend tragedy, bridge communication barriers and bring people together. Guggenheim delivers the message with quiet authority, making this feel- good movie feel pretty darned darned adj. Damned. Adj. 1. darned - expletives used informally as intensifiers; "he's a blasted idiot"; "it's a blamed shame"; "a blame cold winter"; "not a blessed dime"; "I'll be damned (or blessed or darned or good in the end. Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672 glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com GRACIE - Three stars (PG-13: brief sexual content) Starring: Carly Schroeder, Dermot Mulroney, Elisabeth Shue. Director: Davis Guggenheim. Running time: 1 hr. 39 min. Playing: In wide release. In a nutshell nut·shell n. The shell enclosing the meat of a nut. Idiom: in a nutshell In a few words; concisely: Just give me the facts in a nutshell. Adv. 1. : Sport brings a father and daughter together in a feel-good movie that, thanks to its understatement, feels pretty darned good. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Carly Schroeder is the soccer-addicted title character in "Gracie," a fictionalized story of the Shue family's life. |
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