Gracie delivers believable Girls soccer story to the silver screen

http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/articles.aspx?article=2374
by Hannah Messick 5/25/2007

Set in late 1970s New Jersey Gracie, directed by Davis Guggenheim, follows Gracie Bowen’s struggle to overcome great loss and inequality in sports.

The Bowen family’s pride came from their oldest son, Johnny, a high school soccer star. Growing up with three brothers and a father obsessed with training his sons, Gracie always found herself on the outside because girls were not allowed to play. But after a devastating family loss, the Bowen family begins to fall apart and Gracie looses her identity.

Amidst her weary high school years and through great personal turbulence, Gracie finds the passion of her oldest brother and in that finds herself. However, the road to playing soccer for a female was peppered with adversity, especially since no one, not even her father, believes she is talented or tough enough to play soccer.

Unlike the few other soccer movies available, Gracie delivers an emotionally deep, well produced, and believable soccer film. From profound sadness and grief to anger and injustice to excitement this film delivers an excellent moral and inspirational story which should be viewed by all soccer enthusiast, parents, players, and coaches.

It is believable because Gracie must actually work hard to learn the game and prepare properly, because she is pushed to her physical and emotional limits, and because she gets knocked on her butt a couple times before she ever beats her defender. Although not a chick flick, this movie would be enjoyed most by females or the parents/coaches of females.