Director: Brad J. Silverman
Writer: Brad J. Silverman
Actors: AJ Michalka, Kelly Thiebaud, James Denton, Michael Welch, Kevin Pollak
Runtime: 102 min
Rating: PG
Genre films must be judged appropriately. One cannot consider a comedy or action movie in the same way they would a drama; instead, one must contemplate the film’s purpose. Does the comedy make one laugh, does the action movie generate excitement, and does the drama create an emotional connection? Of course, these goals often transcend these artificial boundaries and transition between genres, but each film must accomplish its own goal to be considered successful. Grace Unplugged is a well-executed faith-centred film that entertains while effectively offering its message to its intended audience, and should be very successful in the church community.
Gracie Trey (AJ Michalka) is a spunky Christian teenager who, at eighteen years of age, is starting to pull away from the tight grasp of control that her hard rocker-turned-worship leader father Johnny Trey (James Denton) maintains over her life and creativity. Although the highly talented Gracie sings in her father’s worship team every Sunday, she yearns to make her own creative choices and to let her powerful voice shine through. Her parents, however, believe her to be more suited for the college life than that of the music industry. When the opportunity to produce a secular hit single arises, Gracie moves to Los Angeles against the will of her parents, where her personal morals and religious faith are put to the test.
Michalka’s Gracie is an easy character for whom the audience can root. Far from being a perfect Christian teenager, Gracie is a real person who makes mistakes; she lies in order to attend a movie instead of her youth group, speaks rudely to her parents when provoked, and demonstrates disobedience as she heads off to L.A. Far from creating a disagreeable character, these imperfections create one who is lifelike and relatable, and the film is careful to never depict the lively Gracie as too much of a bad girl. Michalka is a confident actor and a very strong singer, appearing natural in scenes that place her both in front of the microphone and away from it.
At the outset of the film, it is unclear if the audience is intended to be on the side of the strict but faith-centred Johnny or his slightly rebellious daughter, who appears to be pulling away from her religion. However, Gracie is definitely the individual with whom one can identify. Although the dialogue may become stilted at times, this spunky character is always engaging, and brings a lot of life to a set of otherwise clichéd characters that an audience will have seen many times before. The storyline, as well, often opts to follow a well-known trajectory; there can be no doubt that once Gracie reaches L.A., she will succumb to temptation and become caught up in some sort of love triangle before realizing her mistakes and returning to her roots. Although obvious, the film still manages to engage, and this feat is due mainly to its fast pace, lively music, and charming lead.
A film with a specific niche market is presented with the challenge of a limited audience. This film has a surprisingly high production value and is well, albeit simply, shot, featuring great music and a strong female lead. Unfortunately, however, films like Grace Unplugged have notorious difficulty breaking in to the mainstream market. This struggle occurs because although secular audiences may enjoy an undercurrent of uplifting religiosity in their movies, they do not like to be instructed in ways of religion or told how they should live. Didacticism, audiences feel, has no place in cinema. Saying this, I don’t believe that the aim of this film is to make a lot of money at the box office or to win an academy award. Grace Unplugged will be received very positively by its intended audience and will do very well in its own market. A film must be judged according to its genre, and as far as faith-centred message films go, this one is an engaging and enjoyable work.
