Grace of My Heart (1996)

Excellent movie to watch over and over

The first time we watched this movie was probably over 10 years ago - loved it then and love it now. The music is fabulous as is the story line and acting. It's a great one to own!!! May 27, 2008

Illeana Douglas Rocked!

A very long time ago I was looking at Moooovies for a new film when I see one copy of this movie--I pick it up read- Rent For the rest of my life I will wonder what is wrong with the movie biz that a compelling story like this has been over looked by more than 1/2 the world. If only I had a loudspeaker! And the songs. Love them. This movie is the story of a wonderful singer who can't break in to the biz So she works her way up writing songs for other people. We follow her on this journey examining life and death. Love and heartbreak. And a life time of strength. May 3, 2008

Grace of My Heart

This is a wonderful movie capturing the days of the Brill Building in New York where the majority of the songs we heard in the 50s, 60s, and some 70s were written. It accurately depicts a time when female songwriters and singers were in the vast minority. Coupled with the fact that the movie is loosely based on Carole King's life before she received acclaim as a singer as well as a song writer, this movie and its music reflect a wonderful era. It is sad, however, that the soundtrack of this movie did not include the female version of God Give Me Strength. February 13, 2008

Excellent.

It got here quick, and was in great condition! I love the movie too! May 13, 2007

Lovely.

Grace of My Heart (Allison Anders, 1996)

Allison Anders spent the early part of her career making little gems that no one saw (with the exception of one film upon which she collaborated with, among others, Quentin Tarantino). Grace of My Heart is one of them, a loosely-fictionalized account of Carole King's career in the Brill Building, writing hit song after hit song for other artists before reaching into herself and drawing on that material for the groundbreaking 1971 album Tapestry, to this day considered one of the best records ever released in America by many critics.

Illeana Douglas (Bondage) plays Edna Buxton, a socialite from the Philadelphia suburbs who wins a recording contract in New York. When she gets there, she finds out the whole thing was something of a scam, and finds herself down and out until she meets Joel Millner (John Turturro [Rounders] in what may be one of his finest roles), a producer who renames her Denise Waverly and gets her caught up in writing songs for other artists, and Howard Caszatt (Eric Stoltz [who would come back and work with Anders again in Things Behind the Sun]), who becomes her songwriting partner, and after a while her husband. The marriage is anything but stable, and Denise's life continues on its rocky path through a succession of friends, lovers, and inevitable heartbreak. Until, that is, Tapestry-- excuse me, Grace of My Heart.

What Anders brings to the table is that, while she was obviously going for some sense of the reality underlying the fiction, she never lets it get in the way of telling a good tale. Music historians will find a good deal to munch on where this picture is concerned, but the rest of us can just sit back, chew popcorn, and have a good time without worrying about whether we understood all the in-jokes or not. (Not that that stops us. It seems there's been a debate raging for years over whether Bridget Fonda's character in the movie is a lesbian or not. I don't understand why; isn't it patently obvious?) The primary goal of any good film should be to entertain, and Grace of My Heart delivers. Everything else is just icing on the cake. **** February 28, 2007

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