Gracie's Choice

Gracie's Choice: A Story of Love is a 2004 American drama film that premiered on Lifetime. It is written by Joyce Eliason; directed by Peter Werner; and stars Kristen Bell, Anne Heche, Diane Ladd, and Kristin Fairlie.[1]

Gracie's Choice
DVD cover
Directed byPeter Werner
Written byJoyce Eliason
Based on"A Lifelong Fight," a Reader's Digest article by Rena Dictor LeBlanc
Produced byRandy Sutter
StarringKristen Bell
Diane Ladd
Shedrack Anderson III
Anne Heche
Roberta Maxwell
Kristin Fairlie
CinematographyNeil Roach
Edited byMartin Nicholson
Music byRichard Marvin
Distributed byWarner Home Video
Release date
  • January 12, 2004 (2004-01-12)
Running time
91 minutes
CountriesCanada
United States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Gracie is a 17-year-old girl whose mother is addicted to drugs. The police arrest her mother and separate the children, forcing them to leave their family dog Spike behind, but Gracie does whatever she can to keep her family together. Their mother is in and out of their lives, and her sister gets pregnant and runs off to get married, so Gracie takes on the challenge of being the caregiver and guardian to her brothers while putting herself through school and working part time.

Eventually Gracie decides that in order to keep the family stable and away from their mother's errant ways, she must petition to adopt her brothers in court. She does so but not without a fight from her mother. Ultimately the judge asks each individual boy who they want to live with, and all three say Gracie despite their mother's pleas. Seeing the stability the boys have found with their sister and taking into account the answers she was given, the judge terminates parental rights of their mother and grants them to Gracie. The trial ends with them adopting the surname of "Weatherly" from all the trials they have weathered, and the story ends with details about how well the new family is doing.

Cast

Production notes

Inspired by actual events, the film is based on a story featured in Reader's Digest from staff writer Rena Dictor LeBlanc[2] and is described as being "sure to touch your heart".[3]

Reception

Gracie's Choice received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the acting, story, characters, emotional weight, and both Bell and Heche's performances. Heche was nominated for the 2004 Emmy Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie".

References
  1. Russell III, William Benedict; Waters, Stewart (2010). Reel Character Education: A Cinematic Approach to Character Development (Google eBook). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-61735-127-3.
  2. LeBlanc, Rena Dictor (September 2006). "RD on TV: Gracie's Choice". Reader's Digest Online. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  3. "Gracie's Choice". Lifetime Movie Network. Archived from the original on 2012-03-27. Retrieved 2012-03-21.


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