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Grace of My Heart (1996)

Grace of My Heart (1996)
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Illeana Douglas delivers a superb performance as Denise Waverly, a fictional singer and songwriter whose life bears more than a passing resemblance to that of real-life pop star Carole King. Edna Buxton, the daughter of a Philadelphia steel tycoon, aspires to a career as a singer, and when against her mother's bidding she sings a sultry version of "Hey There (You With the Stars in Your Eyes)" (instead of Mom's choice, "You'll Never Walk Alone") at a talent contest, she wins a recording contact and moves to New York City. She cuts a record and gains a new stage name, Denise Waverly; however, she soon finds that girl singers are a dime a dozen in the Big Apple and her career as a vocalist goes nowhere. But she has a knack for writing songs, and eccentric producer Joel Milner (John Turturro) asks her to pen some songs for his upcoming projects. Teamed with Howard Caszatt (Eric Stoltz), a hipster songwriter who wants to express his political and social ideals through pop tunes, she finds both a successful collaborator and husband. While her work with Howard gains Denise writing credits on a string of hit records and respect within the industry, their marriage falls apart, and she becomes involved with Jay Phillips (Matt Dillon), the gifted but unstable leader of a popular West Coast surf music combo. Students of pop music history will have a ball with the various characters modeled after real-life rock legends, and the 1960s-style song score includes numbers written by Joni Mitchell and J. Mascis (of the band Dinosaur Jr.), as well as one-time King collaborator Gerry Goffin; a collaboration between Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach, "God Give Me Strength," led to a full album written by the two great tunesmiths. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Starring:
Illeana Douglas, Matt Dillon, (more)
Director(s):
Allison Anders
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
R
Format(s):
DVD
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Synopsis of Grace of My Heart

Illeana Douglas delivers a superb performance as Denise Waverly, a fictional singer and songwriter whose life bears more than a passing resemblance to that of real-life pop star Carole King. Edna Buxton, the daughter of a Philadelphia steel tycoon, aspires to a career as a singer, and when against her mother's bidding she sings a sultry version of "Hey There (You With the Stars in Your Eyes)" (instead of Mom's choice, "You'll Never Walk Alone") at a talent contest, she wins a recording contact and moves to New York City. She cuts a record and gains a new stage name, Denise Waverly; however, she soon finds that girl singers are a dime a dozen in the Big Apple and her career as a vocalist goes nowhere. But she has a knack for writing songs, and eccentric producer Joel Milner (John Turturro) asks her to pen some songs for his upcoming projects. Teamed with Howard Caszatt (Eric Stoltz), a hipster songwriter who wants to express his political and social ideals through pop tunes, she finds both a successful collaborator and husband. While her work with Howard gains Denise writing credits on a string of hit records and respect within the industry, their marriage falls apart, and she becomes involved with Jay Phillips (Matt Dillon), the gifted but unstable leader of a popular West Coast surf music combo. Students of pop music history will have a ball with the various characters modeled after real-life rock legends, and the 1960s-style song score includes numbers written by Joni Mitchell and J. Mascis (of the band Dinosaur Jr.), as well as one-time King collaborator Gerry Goffin; a collaboration between Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach, "God Give Me Strength," led to a full album written by the two great tunesmiths. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Theatrical Feature Running Time:
116 mins

Complete Cast of Grace of My Heart


Director(s):
Allison Anders
Writer(s):
Allison Anders
Producer(s):
Ruth Charny, Daniel Hassid
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
R(Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Profanity)
Warning:  This product is intended for mature audiences only. It may contain violence, sexual content, drug abuse and/or strong language. You must be 17 or older to purchase it. By ordering this item you are certifying that you are at least 17 years of age.

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    Member Reviews
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    Mickael B.

    With a three and a half star rating I thought I was in for a real treat, "wrong", stail popcorn and flat soda. The story drags on and goes no where. I am sorry I wasted my time watching this pointless piece of trash. "There was no saving Grace!"

    Yes   |   No

     
    Jennifer V.

    I thought this movie was charming and poignant, following the character of Denise Waverly through roughly a decade of her life. She gains her independence only to give it to a guy who doesn't deserve it, struggles again to find her voice (figuratively of course), has to change with times and the record industry, reinvents herself and in the process gives herself away again to another guy. But it's through this process that she really finds herself. It is through weathering the storm. The soundtrack is amazing.

    Yes   |   No

     
    Hal F.

    An interesting parallel to the life of Carole King, not biographical enough for some, perhaps, but well played by Douglas and Turturro. Matt Dillon well characterizes two of her marriages with unhappy endings, and the rest of the movie paints a less than perfect, but interesting, portrait of the joys and frustrations of this powerful icon's career. Worth a look, whether you are a CK fan or not, but do suspend factcheck and disbelief for this story.

    Yes   |   No

     
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