Grace Unplugged

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."

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

Plot summary

Grace "Gracie" Trey is a Christian teenager with religious parents who take her to youth group and church every Sunday. Her dad doesn't let her play and sing her own way when she is anywhere. Her father is strict about their religion and only wants her to sing religious songs. Gracie thinks otherwise. She and her father Johnny, a former singing star, have sung and played the guitar together ever since she was little. During a worship, Grace decides to add her own touch to a song. This begins a disagreement between Grace, who wants to focus on her musical talent, and Johnny, who wants Grace to focus on her religion. Grace decides to leave home to pursue her own dream.

Grace meets up with Johnny's ex-producer, and her star soon begins to rise. Grace's first concert is a success. She gets to meet her favorite female singer, Renae Taylor, who gives her some baffling advice. She gets asked out by a movie star and overhears his conversation on the phone. Grace struggles to comprehend and hold in the information from her favorite singer and the hot movie star that asked her out on a date. People want to hear her next song, and she struggles to write a song, and after overhearing her stylist's conversation in the bathroom, she breaks down in her apartment and doesn't know what to do. An intern, Quentin comes to her door and offers her dinner at his house with his family. He is also Christian, and his heart-warming home and family plus a warm home cooked meal with a warm welcoming home make her feel safe and moved.

After a talk with Quentin on the beach, Grace leaves a note for her producer, saying that she doesn't know why, but she is going to leave. She goes back to her family and her home church and an emotional reconciliation follows. Two years later, Grace is invited to sing at a concert hosted by Chris Tomlin. She is engaged to Quentin, and the film ends with Grace singing at the concert alongside her father.

Production

The film was mainly shot in Birmingham, Alabama. Scenes were shot at the Alabama Theatre. Filming also took place in Los Angeles, California and wrapped on September 15, 2012. The production budget was of less than $3 million.

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."

Music

Michalka's single from the film, "All I've Ever Needed," was released June 25, 2013. 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."

Capitol Christian Music released the soundtrack to the film August 27. It features songs by Michalka, as well as Christian artists TobyMac, Chris Tomlin and Luminate, as well as former American Idol contestant Colton Dixon.

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. Grace Unplugged holds a 50% approval rating on aggregate review site Rotten Tomatoes with an average score of 5.4/10, based on 8 reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 39, based on 5 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".

Beliefnet said 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."

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."

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."

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", praising 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."

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.

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."

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.

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". The New York Times's Andy Webster wrote that it "feels like a religious tract more than a movie."

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.