Very Cool!!!

So much average

Good movie but grossly overrated

Excellent but underrated film

Character actress Illeana Douglas is such a reassuring presence on the screen that she ALMOST makes "Grace of My Heart" worth-seeing. In a thinly-disguised biography of Carole King, Douglas plays a singer-turned-songwriter in the early-'60s who feels the pressure of being a female under the thumb of powerful males in the music-biz but makes no major decisions about it; she's a strong woman, but also a go-alonger, and eventually she gets her chance to shine. The movie has some great scenes, but they aren't strung together smoothly, and the narrative keeps getting interrupted by half-comic bits of romantic confusion. Eric Stoltz (filling in for Gerry Goffin) cuts a nice figure in his shades and suits, but he has no personality; when he treats Douglas cruelly, there seems to be nothing at stake for her beyond raising their child alone (certainly she could do better). Several key supporting roles are wonderfully filled, particularly by John Turturro as a record producer and Bruce Davison as a radio-host (both are charming). Much of the music is dead-on in its nostalgia, the production values are fine, and Douglas is simply terrific (her toothy smile and wide eyes are endearing); yet the film hits a bump just before the final act and never recovers. Interest wanes, and that's too bad because Douglas works engagingly hard at creating a character we should care more about. **1/2 from ****

Illeana Douglas portrays songwriter Densie Waverly in a film loosely based on Carole King. It is more like a sneak peek into the lives of the 60's pop composers at the famous Brill Building(Neil Diamond, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich). Most of the characters are based on real life rock and rollers. John Turturro plays a Phil Specter like producer named Joel, who discovers Denise. Matt Dillon does a pretty decent portrayal of a producer, not unlike Beach Boy Brian Wilson. Some parts are a bit too dramatic, but the songs in the movie--composed by the Brill writers make up for it. The highlight is Douglas's lip sync(sung by Kristen Vigard), written by Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello. Good rock and roll movie. If you like this try: *La Bamba *That Thing You Do *The Rose

As a former singer with a female group from the 70's, called "SOFTOUCH", I could really appreciate the movie, "Grace of My Heart". I thought the movie was very authentic in its presentation of the artists' struggles with becoming a "singer" in his or her own right, as well as a writer. It was not a popular position to be in in the 50's and 60's. I love Ms. Douglas. I thought she did an exceptional job with the material and the singing. John Tuturro was great as the manager and provided great comedic relief. Since his performance, I have gone out of my way to see everything he has performed in. He is an awesome actor! Most importantly, I enjoyed the music of Burt Bacharach. There is none other to compare. His songs are historic! My only concerns are these: 1) I would have appreciated the female vocalist, Kristin Vigard recording the hit "God Give Me Strength". I thought her voice was much more haunting and convincing. 2) Where can I purchase the Song Book for the sound track? I am now a teacher of middle school students in the arts program, and there are several clips from the movie that I have been able to show my students - and they love this movie! I cannot show the entire movie for the obvious sexual content however, they get a kick out of the music, storyline and the progress of the time including the wardrobe changes.

This movie instantly jumped onto my top ten worst movies ever - the top of which has been held for years now by "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". Weak directing and poor acting start to finish - I never thought John Turturro was capable of this bad a performance - he seems to know that the project is ludicrous and so camps it up way beyond what the shallow character created for him can sustain.Just about every scene in this film rings completely false; each scene seems painfully contrived to hit us over the head with some supposed step in the main character's development (or lack thereof). And while these concocted scenarios are supposed to place us in a particular situation in a particular era, they all seem to point to a sloppy and badly distorted cultural chronology; this is the music industry and pop-culture-in- general regurgitated as if by some cheesy television production.The film is very obviously about Carole King - except when it finds it convenient to be completely off-the wall fictional. In this story she marries an undisguised Brian Wilson - or maybe it's not Brian Wilson because this bad actor walks into the ocean and drowns. (Oh the obvious/odious "Good Vibrations" recording session - it's by the Riptides! - get it? That's the sad level of half-baked analogy this film resorts to throughout. Ugh!)And then there's the beatnik stuff, the hippie commune, the Brian Wilson guru character - I could go on and on... but I'd rather start trying to forget this cinematic bludgeoning I experienced last night. (I still shudder to this day when my brain, against my will, brings back to mind George Burns bursting forth with "For the Benefit of Mr.Kite" in that other, above-mentioned, waste of film.)P.S. Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach should have kept their amazing "God Give Me Strength" away from this shallow project.