Screenwriter James C. Strouse (Lonesome Jim) makes his directorial debut with this quiet portrait of American grief. It's admirable, contemporary, and sweet, but altogether modest in size and scope. John Cusack gives one of his richest performance as Stanley Phillips, the husband of a recently deceased Army Sargent (the Grace of the film's title) who died in combat. Unable to inform his two young daughters of their mother's death, he decides instead to postpone the inevitable and take the girls on a spontaneous road trip to anyplace in the world that they'd like to go. The daughters are played beautifully by two precocious child actors,Shélan O'Keefe as the wise beyond her years Heidi and Gracie Bednarczyk as the impulsive young Dawn.
Along the way on their journey, with the daily routine of the lives disrupted, the family discovers new things about one another and ultimately grows closer together. Stanley, who is introduced to us as a very strict father, learns to open up and listen to his daughters rather than to silence them. They grow into a warm and winning collective only to have their newfound trust tested by the utterance Stanley has been delaying for days.
The film is a bit slow moving, taking the typical meandering route of most episodic road trip adventures. It doesn't always add up neatly into sweeping movements, but rather just observes small details. In parts it can be very rewarding and as a whole it has a great deal of heart and sensitivity to share. None of this adds up to a great film by any means but it does add up to a nice one.
Grade: B
