I knew what this film was about, and I knew it would probably be difficult to watch...so what do I do? I rent it anyway...
I guess it's just that I enjoy strong acting, even when the overall film itself isn't exactly Oscar worthy. I happened to catch Martian Child a while back and, while it wasn't a great film by any means, I really felt that Cusack and whoever played the little kid did a great job of acting. I saw the preview for Grace is Gone and gave it a go for the same reason.
Even though I enjoyed most of his earlier films, I felt that J.Cusack sort of always played the same character. I grew to question his range as an actor, which is probably the one quality that stands out the most to me when I see it. Pacino, DeNiro, Crowe, Hanks, P.S. Hoffman, etc....I love the way they can disappear into the character and make them entirely believable. Anyway, I think some of Cusack's more recent films have proved that he's a LITTLE stronger in that regard. His character in this film felt to me like a very (VERY) watered-down version of P.S. Hoffman's in Love Liza (talk about a great performance!). He was dealing with some of the same psychological and emotional challenges, but on a different scale and with different circumstances. All things considered, I think he did a pretty good job...and the girls in the film are just two more examples of how talented young people can be on the big screen!
I have a tendency to let the director twist and pull my emotions in whichever way he or she so chooses, even when the film is bad...and this was no exception. I also tend to try and live somewhat vicariously through the character, and doing so in such a film as this can really take a toll on you. I don't know that I recommend this film, save for the "Cusack growth" issue I discussed above, if that's of any interest....or, if you just enjoy getting kicked in the balls emotionally for no apparent reason
I'd be interested to hear the thoughts of anyone else who's seen this film
