Parents' Guide to

Gracie

By Heather Boerner, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Gritty girl soccer drama with a powerful message.

Movie PG-13 2007 122 minutes
Gracie Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 14+

Based on 2 parent reviews

mrsrhm
mrsrhm Adult
January 20, 2012
age 18+

Practically an "R" rated beginning

We started watching this movie with our 12 and 8 year old. The beginning of the movie depicted the lead character in several questionable situations that forced us to turn the movie off. Here's why...the dialogue focused on discussions of drinking and smoking pot. Secondly, there were several scenes where Gracie tries to not go all the way with a guy, but the boy is practically raping her - however she does ultimately push him away. Finally, there was a scene where Gracie and her friend take their parents car (when they don't have their drivers licence) to go out for a night of partying with college guys. We thought this was supposed to be a movie about a girl trying to play soccer, not a dating/drinking/drugs/sex movie! Come on Hollywood, it's OK to make a family movie; heck you may even sell more tickets if we COULD take our kids.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
1 person found this helpful.
dvdgirl
dvdgirl Adult
August 14, 2019
age 10+

I liked it.

I just watched it and I thought it was good. I will watch it again.

This title has:

Great messages
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Before girls could Bend It Like Beckham on their own soccer teams, there was no place for them to play or be taken seriously. GRACIE is a story about how all that changed, and it's a fast-paced sports movie to boot. Fifteen-year-old Gracie Bowen (Carly Schroeder) is growing up in 1978 New Jersey surrounded by her soccer-obsessed dad and brothers. When her brother dies in a car accident early in the movie, Gracie is destroyed -- but also determined. One day she walks into the dining room and puts her family on notice: She plans to honor her brother's death by joining the varsity soccer team ... so she can beat the team to which her brother lost his last game. The problem? Oh, just a couple of small matters: first, that the school doesn't have a girls' soccer team and, second, the utter chauvinism of both the school and her family. "It's this simple," her dad Bryan, played by the wonderful Dermot Mulroney, declares. "You're not tough enough." (For anyone who's ever wanted their parents' approval, watching Gracie literally beg her father to help is heartbreaking.) So Gracie decides to go after it herself. She trains in isolation, sneaking into the boys' weight room before school starts (the girls' gym doesn't have weights) to strength-train. But can she convince her father, her brothers, and even her mother -- not to mention her schoolmates -- that she's good enough to try out and play on the varsity team?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (4):

There are great things about this film's admittedly predictable plot. Gracie is a real teen, full of rebellion, bad decisions, and moping along with her more-inspiring traits -- in other words, she's someone that teens can probably relate to and that parents can knowingly roll their eyes over. And the movie has great music, including Bruce Springsteen (hey, it's set in Jersey, after all!). Plus, it's based on the real experience of co-star Elisabeth Shue, who was the only girl on her high school soccer team. That's pretty cool.

Perhaps most importantly, this is a truly great sports movie. The extensive field-action scenes aren't drawn out or laborious. They're quick, well-shot, and get even the most anti-sports viewer caught up in the thick of it. Don't be surprised if you find yourself ducking and weaving as Gracie makes her way down the field. It's enthralling and really makes it clear why Gracie loves the game so much. The film's only downside is its heavy-handed preaching about Title IX, which requires that girls be given equal sports opportunities. Yes, this is a debate that really happened, and yes, it's a great education for kids who didn't know there was a time when people didn't think girls could play soccer. But it's also blatant and not nearly as much fun as the rest of this well-told story.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how the perception of girls playing sports has changed since the 1970s, both in real life and in the media. How are girls and women portrayed in contemporary sports movies? Kids: How do people at your school talk about girls who play sports? Are any of the stereotypes or assumptions made about the girls in this movie still in effect today?

Movie Details

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