Virtually every parent has had to deal with a child, who, despite their best intentions to honor God, sometimes falls short due to their dreams and desires. The soul of this movie is the relationship between father and daughter. The decision to do this adds great depth and texture to the title character and the movie as a whole. Filled with several nifty performances by Michalka, each featured song plays out as critical subtext, thus creating a vehicle for Grace’s inner monologue and emotions. Other cast members making a solid contribution include Pollak ( A Few Good Men, That Thing You Do) as a snarky, smarmy music producer, Michael Welch ( Twilight series) as a record company intern who befriends Grace, and Christian recording artist Jamie Grace in her cinematic debut as Grace’s best friend.Ī major strong suit in Grace Unplugged is its music. At times, his acting seems a bit contrived in scenes where he is domineering but is most effective in the tender moments between father and daughter. Michalka absolutely soars in any scene where she gets to demonstrate her musical talent – especially in the movie’s climactic scene when she performs “All I’ve Ever Needed”, a single that can currently be heard on Christian radio.ĭenton, who most recently made his mark as the handsome neighbor on Desperate Housewives, delivers a believable performance as Grace’s father, the former rock star Johnny Trey. She can obviously identify with this role and plays the part admirably. As one half of the musical sister duo Aly & AJ in real life, Michalka has spent nearly a decade in the entertainment business. Her father warns that fame is not as glamorous as it looks and that serving the Lord is a far more worthwhile goal. With the help of her father’s old manager (Kevin Pollak), Grace runs off to Los Angeles and soon finds herself strapped to the rocket of what the world sees as success. Unfortunately, her vision for this means chasing fame and fortune on the secular pop music charts, something other than what God has planned for her. Despite her faith, Grace longs to step out of her father’s shadow and make a name for herself. He has found peace and contentment in leading his church’s praise and worship band, a group in which Grace also performs. Her father (Denton) gave up that lifestyle years and years ago after he found salvation in Jesus Christ. Grace Trey (Michalka) has just turned 18 and aspires to become a famous rock star just like her father did two decades earlier.
This is all due to an honest script that drives the film through the use of sharp dialogue and effective pacing. Honest and unpretentious, Grace Unplugged, a new faith-based film releasing in theaters today is just that.ĭirected by Brad Silverman ( No Greater Love) and starring AJ Michalka ( Super 8) and James Denton ( Desperate Housewives), Grace Unplugged is just the type of movie that will comfort the fears of parents and capture the hearts of teenagers. Like his sister, these abilities likely manifested after a traumatic experience, perhaps their mother's death, as well as through inheritance.Every once in a while a movie comes along that captures the hearts of viewers without being overly flashy, raunchy, or raw. Where Gwen could aid the police with her visions, Finney could actively speak to the dead and feel their presence. However, when he was kidnaped, his powers manifested. This could've also contributed to why he suppressed his own gifts, even though his sister embraced them. Finney often witnessed these punishments and would stand by, afraid to stand up to his father, but he may have also suppressed similar gifts that his mother and sister had.Įven though Finney hated how his father treated his sister, his self-preservation kept him from doing anything more than yelling. However, whenever she spoke about it to her father, she would be punished, as her mother had similar visions that led to her suicide and their father's drinking problem. Throughout the film, Finney's sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), exhibited her own abilities through dreams that would give her a psychic glimpse into the memories and whereabouts of the abducted children.
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