GRACE OF MY HEART
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 6.5 Alternative Scale: **1/2 out of ****
United States, 1996 U.S. Release Date: 9/13/96 (limited) Running Length: 1:55 MPAA Classification: R (Sex, mature themes, language) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Illeana Douglas, John Turturro, Matt Dillon, Eric Stoltz, Bruce Davison, Patsy Kensit, Jennifer Leigh Warren, Bridget Fonda Director: Allison Anders Producers: Ruth Charney and Daniel Hassid Screenplay: Allison Anders Cinematography: Jean Yves Escoffier Music: Larry Klein U.S. Distributor: Gramercy Pictures
In many ways, it's hard to believe that the Allison Anders who burst onto the movie scene with GAS FOOD LODGING, a compelling and compassionate look at the trials of single motherhood, is the same woman who penned and directed GRACE OF MY HEART. Don't misunderstand me -- GRACE isn't a bad movie, and its theme of female independence fits in with Anders' other work, but this film doesn't take any chances. It's a safe, shallow motion picture that doesn't challenge the viewer.
The film starts out pleasantly enough, introducing us to a young Edna Buxton (Illeana Douglas) circa 1958. Living in a huge mansion just outside of Philadelphia, Edna isn't an ordinary young woman -- she's the sole heir to the Buxton Steel fortune. But money and marriage aren't on Edna's mind. She wants to sing professionally, much to her parents' dismay. And, when she wins a singing contest where first prize is a recording contract, she's off to New York to forge her future. Unfortunately, the contract never materializes, and Edna's financial situation becomes so dire that she can't even afford a phone.
Over the next eleven months, Edna's attempts to find work in the recording industry meet with failure. "We already have someone like you" is the popular refrain of refusal until Joel Millner (John Turturro) hears one of her demos and falls in love -- not with her voice but with her songwriting talent. He hires Edna, changes her name to Denise Waverly, and sets her up in a tiny office in the Brill Building, New York's sixties hit factory.
For the rest of the movie, we watch as Edna struggles to launch her own singing career while continuing to turn out top-selling singles for others. Her personal life is in turmoil. She first becomes involved with a fellow songwriter, Howard Cazsatt (Eric Stoltz), whose child she bears. Then she has a fling with a married man (Bruce Davison). Finally, she falls for Jay Phillips (Matt Dillon), a record producer and the lead singer of the Beach Boys-like Riptides.
One of Anders' problems is that, in trying to span twelve years of pop music history and chronicle one woman's life over that period, she overextends her script. Two hours isn't enough time to cover this much material, so Anders frequently takes the easy way out by skimming over important scenes and fast-forwarding at awkward moments. By the time GRACE OF MY HEART was over, I felt like I'd watched a filmed version of the CLIFFNOTES edition rather than the real thing.
The movie pays lip service to issues of discrimination (both sexual and racial) and female empowerment, but doesn't do much with either. They're background elements that are given cursory screen time only when they impact upon the main story. Also, GRACE misses numerous opportunities to explore the main character's inner struggles. For example, when Edna finally records her first single, "God Give Me Strength", we're privy to the recording sessions, but, when they're finished, we're perfunctorily told that the song fails and she marries her producer. We see a quick snapshot of the wedding photo and a press clipping. By reducing this critical juncture in the main character's life to such cursory exposition, Anders leaves us feeling cheated.
Then there's the final half-hour, which almost seems like it belongs in a different movie. With the time period moving into the late-sixties and early-seventies, we bear witness to the psychedelic breakdown of Matt Dillon's character. For more than twenty minutes, GRACE's focus shifts from Edna and her music to Jay's deteriorating condition. This prolonged sequence of events is disruptive to the overall tone.
Actors are GRACE's most obvious strength. Illeana Douglas (CAPE FEAR, TO DIE FOR) is charming and likable in her first lead role. I've always thought of her as a capable performer, and she reinforces that belief here. John Turturro is excellent, stealing scenes left and right as Edna's boss (I'm not sure if it's Turturro's acting or his bizarre choice of wigs that captures our attention most forcefully). The supporting players are all solid: Eric Stoltz, Bruce Davison, and Matt Dillon as the three men in Edna's life; Patsy Kensit as her rival- songwriter-turned friend; and Jennifer Leigh Warren as the Diana Ross- clone who hits it big with a song written by "Denise Waverly."
GRACE OF MY HEART's songs are, without a doubt, the film's highlight. Penned by the likes of Elvis Costello, Burt Bachrach, and Larry Klein, they effectively recapture the sounds of the sixties. The soundtrack will probably sell, regardless of how the film does at the box office. However, while Allison Anders has certainly made a comeback from her horrific FOUR ROOMS episode, her return isn't complete. GRACE OF MY HEART possesses certain charms, but those hoping for an in-depth character study, a autopsy of the recording industry, or an exploration of songwriters' angst, will be disappointed. Lightweight and undemanding, this GRACE is a little less than amazing.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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