ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, October 5, 1996 TAG: 9610080030
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 12 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: MOVIE REVIEW
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
"Grace of My Heart" is an ensemble pop melodrama that appears to have been loosely patterned on the career of Carole King.
In 1958, wealthy young Edna Buxton (Ileana Douglas) defies her domineering mother and heads to New York to become a singer. Her bubble is quickly burst when the record people tell her that nobody's interested in girls. All the business goes to guy groups. But producer Joel Millner (John Turturro) realizes that Edna can come up with a catchy tune, and hires her to work as a songwriter in the legendary Brill Building. First, she's got to lose that name. Presto, Denise Waverly is born.
Doris Shelley (Jennifer Leigh Warren) is the lead singer in a girl group that turns Denise's early work into a hit single. Semibeat songwriter Howard Caszatt (Eric Stoltz) hooks his star to Denise's. Radio host John Murray (Bruce Davison) champions Denise's work when she deals with controversial subjects. Cheryl Steed (Patsy Kensit) is a competitor who becomes a collaborator, and Jay Phillips (Matt Dillon) is the California musical genius who helps the songwriter become a performer (given voice by Kristen Vigard).
It's not difficult to find real counterparts for most of writer/director Allison Anders' characters, but she seldom lets reality get in the way of her soapy story. That's the film's main flaw. All of the emotions have the bright, immediate superficiality of a pop tune. As the action becomes more overwrought in the second half, it becomes considerably less believable and moving. Ileana Douglas does excellent work, even in the unpersuasive scenes, and she gets terrific support from Turturro and Dillon.
The music is almost as important as the characters. Under the guidance of Larry Klein, who wrote some of the songs along with Burt Bacharach, Lesley Gore, Elvis Costello and Joni Mitchell, the soundtrack is fairly authentic to the periods involved. Unfortunately, the action, none too quickly paced to begin with, slows to a stop during several numbers, and while they're not bad, there's not a single "Heatwave" or "One Fine Day" in the film.
Still, despite the undeniable flaws, "Grace of My Heart" earns a recommendation, particularly to viewers who remember the times and those great songs with fondness.
Grace of My Heart ***
A Gramercy release playing at the Grandin. 110 minutes. Rated R for strong language, drug use, subject matter, brief nudity.
LENGTH: Short : 50 linesby CNB