Review of Gracie (2007) by Robin A — 12 Jun 2011

There's a certain unabashed charm to this true story of a 15 year old girl who became an inspiration for girls only and mixed gender sports teams/leagues in schools. It's unfortunate that it doesn't choose to dig a bit deeper beyond the sweet sentiment, but for what the film is, at the very least its not easy to dislike (and that is intended as a compliment).

Gracie is a young, competitive and feisty girl who, in an effort to honor her late brother Johnny, pushes to follow in his footsteps by living out her own passion for soccer. Unfortunately the obstacles seem insurmountable when she comes up against resistant coaches, a father who never found it easy to connect with the "girl" of the family despite shared passions, and a social circle bent on shaping her in to a cliche. Balancing between a need to find herself, honor her brother, and to be accepted by both family and friends, we find her moving back and forth from complete rebellion in an effort to tell the world that she doesn't need it, to positive statement, showing the world what she can do.

Star Carly Schroeder plays a decent, down to earth lead that seems to embody the spirit of her character well. The balancing characters really come in small doses, the father taking the bulk of that screen time. And that is perhaps where this one falls short. There was a ton of potential to explore that father/daughter relationship further, as well as to visit the tension surrounding the coach and a team that does not want to play with a girl, but it all feels too nice and underachieved, suitable for a really good after school t.v. special. Fortunately when the film hits the game action the emotion is managabley entertained and centered, giving us at least a feel for what Gracie had to endure to get where she did. And really, it is a good story in the end.