GRACIE
RYAN: It is a rare occurrence that I actually cry during a film, but I sure did it this time.
CAROLINE: You and me both, sister. Though that’s not saying much for me. I’m a big crier in movies, and I welled up more than once during this film.
RYAN: Said movie is “Gracie,” the true-life tale of the family Shue, co-starring siblings Elizabeth and Andrew.
CAROLINE: Andrew has a pretty small role, but we did promise him when we interviewed him last week that we would see this movie, and we have delivered on that promise.
RYAN: You can hear our radio interview with him here.
CAROLINE: So this is a soccer movie – big shock. The Shues love soccer. As you may remember in the opening credits of “Melrose Place,” you got to see Andrew shooting soccer balls. And this movie is a surprisingly PG-13 version of what happened to one young Elizabeth Shue in the 70s when she tried to take over for her dead brother on the boys’ varsity soccer team.
RYAN: The movie is well balanced with both the macabre and the sweet; but above everything else, it’s a true underdog story and that’s what did it for me.
CAROLINE: I definitely thought it was going to be more of a kids’ film, but there’s a little bit of raciness and rebellion in it, which I enjoyed.
RYAN: I thought it was gonna be the Shues’ version of a Disney film but no; it’s a little more mature.
CAROLINE: It’s nice to see both Elizabeth and Andrew on the big screen again, but I must comment on the giganticism of Elizabeth’s breasts. It was almost as if she had inflatable balloons in there!
RYAN: She was definitely voluptuous. I’m now calling her Elizabeth “And the Twins” Shue.
CAROLINE: They were really something to behold, especially in this one scene where she’s wearing a wrap dress. I think I gasped aloud.
RYAN: You did, and you almost hurt my eardrum as you reacted to her bosoms.
CAROLINE: By the way, if you’re looking for a big comeback role for Andrew Shue, this is not it. He’s got a small part. But he did co-produce the film.
RYAN: I was kind of jazzed to see him acting again, but I was a little let down by the size of his role, especially after meeting him last week. And when he does actually speak in the movie, he just has a couple of words here and there.
CAROLINE: He plays the history teacher/assistant coach so he mostly just says, “Yeah!” and “Go!”
RYAN: But he looks good doing it.
CAROLINE: Hell yes. And the very cute Carly Schroeder plays “Gracie.” And if I may play the role of the cradle robber for a moment, the guy who plays her brother who dies is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. I have to look him up on IMDB because he might be about 18.
RYAN: He’s probably Harry Potter’s age.
CAROLINE: I’m going to get myself in trouble here. Bottom line?
RYAN: “Gracie” is a sweet and really well done film. They beautifully did justice to the story. It’s nice that Andrew and Elizabeth Shue co-produced it because they must have had a lot of creative control. And it’s directed by Elizabeth’s real-life husband, Davis Guggenheim. So the movie was great. What can I say? You laugh, you cry, it’s better than “Cats.”
CAROLINE: I really liked it too. There were definitely some moments where I thought it was gonna get really predictable, but it didn’t so I appreciated that. It’s not a 100% triumphant film. But it’s a weeper for sure, and I’m a sucker for that.