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The MPAA has rated Grace is Gone PG-13 - for thematic material, brief strong language and teen smoking.

If nothing else, the war in Iraq sparks discussion---often loud, long and even violent. But sometimes, it is the quiet voices that have the most impact. Such is the case with Grace Is Gone.

It's the story of Stanley Phillips (John Cusack), a sober, unassuming sales manager at a home supply store. His wife Grace has just been deployed and he is left playing the role of single parent to his 12-year-old daughter Heidi (Shelan O'Keefe) and her eight-year-old sister Dawn (Gracie Bednarczyk). Already the two girls are missing their mom and Stanley is doing his best to maintain some kind of normalcy in their lives.

However, any hope of that is shattered when a military captain (Doug Dearth) and the base chaplain (Doug James) show up unannounced on the doorstep with the message no family ever wants to hear. Stunned by the sudden death of his wife, the bereaved husband spends the better part of the day sitting motionless in a chair trying to grasp his new reality. But by the time his girls come running in the door from school, he is still ill prepared to break the news to them.

Rather, he soldiers on by throwing the girls into their SUV and starting out on a spontaneous cross-country trip to the Enchanted Gardens amusement park. While Dawn is overjoyed at the thought of bailing out of school and heading south, Heidi, a serious and highly responsible preteen, begins to worry.

Endless miles pass under their tires as the threesome drive nonstop with Stanley suffocating under the weight of his secret. Torn with grief, he even calls home along the way just to hear his wife's voice on their answering machine. All the while Heidi grows increasingly uneasy with her father's erratic behavior.

Although the film contains moderately few content concerns, the use of two sexual expletives (usually not included in a PG-13 rating) and some scenes of teens smoking impact the script's suitability for younger viewers. Passing comments concerning phone sex between married couples are also made during the movie's opening moments.

It's a road trip both tender and poignant. Yet one that avoids making the viewer side exclusively with either the patriotic Stanley or his left-wing brother John (Alessandro Nivola). Instead, watching the quiet battles waging in the lives of Stanley and his daughters allows audiences to appreciate the magnitude of the sacrifice made by these sideline heroes and the real life military families they represent.

Beyond the movie ratings: What Parents need to know about Grace Is Gone...

A group of military wives briefly discuss the activities (without excessive details) they engaged in with their husbands preceding the men's deployment. A handful of profanities along with two sexual expletives and some discussion of war are included in the dialogue. Two adult characters and two teens smoke or try cigarettes. In one case, a father buys cigarettes for his preteen daughter to smoke with him in a teaching situation. Some sibling bickering, a brief tussle and the non-use of seatbelts are also shown.

Talk about the movie with your family...

How do Stanley and his brother John differ in their opinions on the military? How do their lifestyles also differ? Why does John see himself as a victim? What freedoms does he nonetheless enjoy?

Although the evening news can be disturbing for many people, why does Stanley especially want to protect his children from the nightly barrage of war coverage?

While Heidi isn't sure what the problem is, she knows something is wrong. Why is it important for parents to share relative and appropriate information with their children about family issues? What other kinds of family struggles might effect children?

Video alternatives...

In another role, John Cusack plays a widower that takes on a foster child who believes he is an alien in Martian Child. Another family, this time a father and two boys, deal with the untimely death of their mother in Millions.

DVD Notes: Grace Is Gone

DVD Release Date: 27 May 2008

Grace Is Gone releases to DVD on 27 May, 2008. Audio tracks are available in English (Dolby Digital Stereo).

Kerry Bennett

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