Grace Unplugged (10/4/2013)

Rated PG for thematic elements and brief teen drinking

Starring AJ Michalka, James Denton, Shawnee Smith and Kevin Pollak

Directed by Brad J. Silverman (No Greater Love)

Brittney, Katy and now Gracie.

Grace Unplugged is an inspirational movie about Grace Rose Trey, a talented 18-year-old singer from a small town in Alabama. Each week Grace plays with her dad in the church’s worship band and each week they butt heads. Her dad and former rock star turned worship pastor charted a Billboard number one single 20 years before. When the hits stopped coming he crash-landed hard. But the one hit wonder found Christ and a new life for his family, far from the Hollywood Hills. One day without warning, Grace leaves for Los Angeles. She has landed a record deal with the help of Johnny’s ruthless former manager and producer Frank “Mossy” Mostin. Mossy sees in Grace a potential pop superstar. Cutting off contact with her parents, Grace seems prepared to walk away from her Christian faith and music to achieve her long-suppressed fantasy of Hollywood.

Several months ago my wife and I were lucky enough to attend a screening of Grace Unplugged. Knowing a little about the story and being a huge fan of movies and Christian music, I was excited to watch the film. If you’ve been reading my reviews for a while you know that I tend to be a little harsh when it comes to Christian films. I honestly try to be fair, but so many of them heap on the cheese and drown out the rest of what’s happening. And Grace Unplugged is another example of that. So let’s talk about what they did right.

The story is both heart-warming and gut-wrenching. I believe every parent knows or fears the pain of Grace’s rebellion. And although her rebellion is sanitized for a PG audience, watching a child make poor decisions is difficult and sobering. I actually found myself praying for my kids several times during the film.

In the film, Gracie follows the same path that Brittney Spears and Katy Perry chose. The path to stardom that started as a Christian artist. And just like her predecessors, Gracie makes one bad decision after another. But unlike her real life counterparts, she finds herself back home in the loving embrace of her family, her church and her faith.

The cast may not be familiar to “Christian audiences”…or like a Baptist in a liquor store, some may chose not to recognize them. James Denton was on several seasons of Desperate Housewives and Shawnee Smith was in three of the Saw films as well as a regular on TV’s Anger Management (Starring Charlie Sheen). I say that just to say there are some quality actors along side of Kevin Pollak. Plus the film has appearances by Jamie Grace and Chris Tomlin.

I’m still on the fence when it comes to AJ Michalka. She was good, but she just wasn’t strong enough to carry the film as the lead.

So let’s talk about a few things they could have done better.

First of all, the film looks and feels low budget…which I’m sure it is. Acting and directing aside, production is huge when it comes to making a great film. And because I’m a movie nerd, I’ll concede that this will most likely have very little impact on the masses.

But one thing that most people will notice is the pace. Some times the film slows down to a crawl and other times it’s racing to the next scene.

Finally, the ending was a little too sappy for me…ok it was A LOT too sappy. Sure I cried when Old Yeller died and when Rudy was carried off the field, but I didn’t cry when Grace took the stage at her church in the final scene. Maybe because I saw it coming from a mile away or maybe because it felt forced, either way there were no tears.

In closing I’ll say this, Christian films are definitely getting better and we are seeing more and more of them. A trend I hope continues. And when it comes to Grace Unplugged, the story or rebellion and restoration is worth the price of admission. Not only will I take my kids to see it, I will encourage the parents in my church to join us. It may not be the best film I see this year, but it is “Theater Worthy.”

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Yes, every teenager should see this film WITH their parents. Just be ready for some dynamic conversations afterwards.

CONVERSATION STARTER

1. What mistakes did Grace make in this story?


2. What mistakes did her parents make?


3. What were some of the events that lead to their reconciliation?


4. What are some “mistakes” your parents have made?


5. What are some “mistakes” you’ve made with your parents?


6. Read Ephesians 6:1-4
   
   Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”

   Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

   
   
7. What does God tell us about how we should treat our parents?


8. What are some things you can do this week to honor your parents?