the movieGOOMBA

Every person has his or her own opinions on the War In Iraq. We'll never agree, but its always interesting to see how others express their beliefs in an artistic way. Film is such a perfect outlet for political statements, and as far right or left as some of these movies can be, the self expression seems unconfrontational. You just have to be aware and open-minded of the filmmaker's intentions in order to appreciate what it has to say.

Grace is Gone blends middle American simplicity with progressive scenarios. Stanley Phillips (John Cusack) is the 100%, middle America family man. Untraditionally, his wife, an American soldier, has been shipped off to Iraq while Phillips is left to care for their two daughters. When he receives a visit from an Army official notifying him of his wife's death, he goes into a state of denial. In an attempt to avoid the harsh and complicated reality, he whisks his daughters away on a road trip to an amusement park in Florida.

Yet I feel no pity for Stanley. I feel no sympathy. He wasn't believable. Cusack doesn't play a good married man. And stripped from his masculinity as the husband who got left behind, his already unconvincing performance made his character uninteresting.

Shot like an indie film, it had the characteristics of a poigniant and thoughtful movie. It had an important message to share, a different perspective to offer, and it resiliently focused on the idea of life after death - which is especially evident in the ending. But (and that's a big 'But'), it was wholly uninspiring. My love for John Cusack has been temporarily stalled by the release of this most recent film. Gone is the lovable, Lloyd Dobbler. Gone is the twisted audiophile, Rob Gordon. Gone is the serendipitously appealing Jonathan Trager. And apparently gone is Grace. As supremely insensitive as this is, I end this blog with a ::shrug::.