Grace Unplugged

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Grace Unplugged

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Brad J. Silverman
Produced by Russ Rice
Larry Frenzel
Screenplay by Brad J. Silverman
Brandon Rice
Starring AJ Michalka
James Denton
Kevin Pollak
Music by Jeff Lippencott
Cinematography Stash Slionski
Editing by Robert Hoffman
Studio Roadside Attractions
Coram Deo Studios
Distributed by Lionsgate Films
Release dates
  • October 4, 2013 (2013-10-04)
Running time 118 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $1.7 million [1]
Box office $2,507,106[2]

Grace Unplugged is a 2013 Christian musical drama film. The film is based on a story by Brandon Rice, written and directed by Brad J. Silverman, and stars AJ Michalka, James Denton, and Kevin Pollak. It is a family-friendly film about an 18 year old girl who rejects her father's desire for her to be a church singer and goes to Hollywood seeking stardom. The film was released to theaters October 4, 2013 by Lionsgate Films and Roadside Attractions.

Reflections

In an interview before the film's release, Michalka described the title character's journey as learning that family and God are more important than stardom.

"The main theme of the film is to surround yourself with people who truly have your best interest at heart," she said. "I think you can get caught up in whatever you do, it doesn’t have to be the entertainment industry, it can be the workforce or whatever. You can surround yourself with people who are not necessarily looking out for you from a godly perspective, but want you to make money, or are using you for a certain thing, or have a certain motive that isn’t pure. It's really about surrounding yourself with fellow Christians and putting God first–I think that is the biggest part of this story."[3]

She also told Billboard magazine, "I love the film. I love how it turned out. It's really heartwarming and sweet."[4]

Cast

Production

The film was mainly shot in Birmingham, Alabama.[5] Scenes were shot at the Alabama Theatre. Filming also took place in Los Angeles, California and wrapped on September 15, 2012.[6] The production budget was of less than $2 million.[5]

The movie is based in part on the real-life experience of producer Russ Rice, whose daughter ran away from home after rejecting the Christian faith in which she was raised."[7]

Music

Michalka's single from the film, "All I've Ever Needed," was released June 25, 2013, and rose to No. 1 on the iTunes Christian music chart.[8] Michalka described the song as one that "explores the moments we have in life when we realize the things we've been chasing mean nothing if you walk away from your faith. I hope people connect with the song the way I have," Michalka added, "and realize that despite what we think we need and want - what we really need is God's love. And we've had that all along."[9]

Capitol Christian Music released the soundtrack to the film Aug. 27.[10] It features songs by Michalka (a platinum-selling artist with her sister Aly Michalka as part of Aly & AJ and 78Violet) as well as Christian artists TobyMac, Chris Tomlin and Luminate, as well as former American Idol contestant Colton Dixon.

Track listing
  1. "All I've Ever Needed" - AJ Michalka
  2. "Desert Song" - AJ Michalka
  3. "You Never Let Go" featuring Jamie Denton - AJ Michalka
  4. "Misunderstood" - AJ Michalka
  5. "Holding On" - Jamie Grace
  6. "Our God" - Chris Tomlin
  7. "Steal My Show" - TobyMac
  8. "In and Out of Time" - Colton Dixon
  9. "The Void" - Nine Lashes
  10. "The Space Between Us" - Shawn McDonald
  11. "Welcome to Daylight" - Luminate
  12. "Amazing Grace" - Josh Wilson

Reception

Lionsgate and Roadside showed the film to Christian groups over seven months as part of a wide outreach effort leading up to the release.[11] Grace Unplugged holds a 40% approval rating on aggregate review site Rotten Tomatoes with an average score of 5/10, based on 5 reviews.[12] At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 38, based on 4 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[13]

Beliefnet said the of the movie: "Everyone can relate with identity struggles and the journey that it takes to declare who you want to be. Grace Unplugged defines the reality behind soul searching and provides the audience with inspiration."[14]

The Christian Post called the film "a powerful movie that speaks to the heart about the importance of the choices we make in life, and how God is with us every step of the way to help us rediscover His grace, mercy, and purpose for our lives."[15]

The Dove Foundation gave "Grace Unplugged" its highest family-friendly rating, 5 Doves, calling it "a well-made inspirational story (that) features good writing, acting, music; the whole works. ... It is unashamedly about honoring God and remembering to treat others the way one desires to be treated. The acting is superb and the story is realistic and riveting as it focuses on relationships and how they can sometimes go wrong."[16]

Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Gary Goldstein said the film "proves a far more involving, accessible and enjoyable movie than its peek-a-boo marketing strategy suggested", prasing its "smartly measured script". He called the story "gentle and largely convincing" and expected the film to "satisfy its intended audience and maybe even bring a few new viewers into the flock."[17]

Kenneth R. Morefield of Christianity Today gave the film two stars out of four: "It's not that Grace Unplugged has a bad message: it just doesn't happen to be a great movie. Because of that, it tries to sell its message, rather than integrate it into a dramatic or entertaining story." He felt the heroine was treated as a girl instead of an adult. Morefield continued: "A prodigal story is about humbling oneself, but without any genuine debasement in the second act, the third act return plays more like ritual shaming than genuine reconciliation." He, however, highlighted the actors' performances and noted the audience seemed to love the film.[18]

Variety's Joe Leydon wrote: "The makers of Grace Unplugged deserve at least some credit for resisting temptations toward melodramatic excess but even though they may be successful at preaching to the converted, their tepid and predictable pic isn't likely to attract crossover audiences."[19]

Christa Banister of Crosswalk.com also wrote a mixed review: "Grace Unplugged is a movie with a message and strong production values. With compelling performances from the lead actors, a decent (read: mostly non-cringeworthy) script and cinematography that isn't embarrassingly dated." Nonetheless, Banister also echoed Leyondon's feeling that the film "won't resonate with many outside of the Church. Grace Unplugged, as accomplished as it is, can't help feeling like a missed opportunity. Instead of providing an intriguing window into how Christ-followers make crucial life decisions, it opts for the whole 'safe for the family' routine.[20]

Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Grace Unplugged would "please its target audience while leaving everyone else indifferent", explaining the film is "ultimately bland to make much of an impact." He continued, "While the subject matter certainly seems rife with dramatic potential, the film handles it in sputtering, uncompelling fashion." The reviewer noted that Denton and Pollack's contributions "elevated the material".[21] The New York Times's Andy Webster wrote that it "feels like a religious tract more than a movie."[22]

Books

A pair of books were released in advance of the film: Grace Unplugged, a novelization of the script by Melody Carlson; and Own It, a spiritual growth title about truly "owning" your faith by Michael DiMarco and Hayley DiMarco.[23]

References

  1. ↑ Horn, John. "Horror film producer turns to Christian drama in 'Grace Unplugged'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 15, 2013. 
  2. ↑ "Grace Unplugged (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 1, 2013. 
  3. ↑ Given, Christi (July 15, 2013). "Blogger Christi Interviews the Star of the Upcoming Film "Grace Unplugged"". Project Inspired. Retrieved July 31, 2013. 
  4. ↑ DelliCarpini, Gregory; Letkemann, Jessica (July 24, 2013). "78Violet Live: Watch Aly & AJ's Tastemakers Performance". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2013. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Garrison, Greg (August 31, 2012). "Christian movie films in Birmingham, producers lured by state's tax incentive". AL.com. Advance Digital. Retrieved August 25, 2013. 
  6. ↑ Garrison, Greg (September 4, 2012). "Extras line up as movie crew films concert scenes at Alabama Theatre". AL.com. Advance Digital. Retrieved August 25, 2013. 
  7. ↑ Ryan, Jonathan (September 18, 2013). "Grace Unplugged: Creating Art out of Personal Pain". Patheos.com. Retrieved September 19, 2013. 
  8. ↑ "New Single From AJ Michalka, "All I’ve Ever Needed," Available Now on iTunes". RevivedMusic.com. June 29, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2013. 
  9. ↑ Andre, Joshua (May 22, 2013). "AJ Michalka – The Story Behind "All I’ve Ever Needed" from Grace Unplugged (Video)". Christian Music Zine. Retrieved August 1, 2013. 
  10. ↑ Dinger, Anna (June 21, 2013). "Grace Unplugged, Movie Soundtrack To Release August 27 Featuring Music By TobyMac, Chris Tomlin, Colton Dixon And More". Mstars.com. Retrieved August. 
  11. ↑ Kay, Jeremy (April 2, 2013). "Roadside readies Grace Unplugged". Screen Daily. Retrieved July. 
  12. ↑ "Grace Unplugged (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixter. Retrieved October 12, 2013. 
  13. ↑ "Grace Unplugged Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 12, 2013. 
  14. ↑ Angela Guzman, Beliefnet, "Grace Unplugged", August 3, 2013"
  15. ↑ Lloyd, Matt (July 25, 2012). "New Movie, 'Grace Unplugged', Highlights the Struggle for Keeping Faith While Pursuing Your Dreams (VIDEO)". The Christian Post. Retrieved August 25, 2013. 
  16. ↑ "Grace Unplugged". ChristianCinema.com. Retrieved July 30, 2013. 
  17. ↑ Goldstein, Gary (October 5, 2013). "Review: Musical drama 'Grace Unplugged' stays in tune". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 6, 2013. 
  18. ↑ Morefield, Kenneth R. (October 4, 2013). "Grace Unplugged". Christianity Today. Retrieved October 7, 2013. 
  19. ↑ Leydon, Joe (October 4, 2013). "Film Review: ‘Grace Unplugged’". Variety. Retrieved October 6, 2013. 
  20. ↑ Banister, Christa (October 4, 2013). "Grace Unplugged Hits a Few of the Right Notes". Crosswalk.com. Retrieved October 8, 2013. 
  21. ↑ Scheck, Frank (October 4, 2013). "Grace Unplugged: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 6, 2013. 
  22. ↑ Webster, Andy (October 4, 2013). "The Wages of Pop Music". The New York Times. Retrieved October 6, 2013. 
  23. ↑ Tiansay, Eric (August 9, 2013). "'Grace Unplugged' products to support 'conversation-starter' movie". Christian Retailing. Retrieved August 15, 2013. 

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