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Saving Grace Customer Reviews (1 - 3 of 21 Reviews)

British people + marijuana = laughs
"Saving Grace" tells the story of a fairly prim British widow (played by Brenda Blethyn) who, after finding that her irresponsible late husband has left her impoverished, decides to grow marijuana to pay off the debts. Much sneakiness and hilarity results as she enters into a partnership with a transplanted Scotsman to pull the caper off.

"Saving Grace" has its flaws: some of the plot turns are hard to swallow, and the ending sequence feels awkwardly tacked on. But a terrific ensemble cast, led by the wonderful Blethyn, helps make up for any flaws in the script. There is some sparkling dialogue, including a hilarious literary debate on the relative merits of Franz Kafka and Jackie Collins. And one character's pub tirade had me laughing so hard I was literally in tears.

The marijuana-related humor will, I'm sure, not be to everyone's taste. But the film has a good-heartedness and wit that may win over even those with strong "Just say No!" tendencies. Give "Grace" a try.

Can this genre ever fail?
Has anyone ever seen a movie in this genre that has been an out-and-out bad film? I can't, and I've seen quite a few of them. SAVING GRACE was a fun little film. The performers are obviously talented, and the story is captivating enough to hold one's interest. There is a little twist near the end, with the drug dealer, that I didn't see coming. It was a nice change. (Is that the same guy who played Meg Ryan's ex-beau in ADDICTED TO LOVE? Hmm, he looks a lot better in this flick.)

Bottom line: Looking for funny Brits? Rent WAKING NED DEVINE. Looking for quirky Scots? Get LOCAL HERO. Both of those already out? Try SAVING GRACE.

Thoroughly enjoyable and light hearted
We got to discussing favorite movies at work recently, and Vicki, one of the nurses I work with in the recovery room, said she'd seen Saving Grace and had really loved it. She gave me a short recap of the film, and I decided it was worth a couple of hours of time and bought it. Normally I'm the type of movie goer who labors ad infinitum over the implications of each character's actions, and certainly the underlying drug theme might well have brought out that tendency with a vengeance, but in viewing Saving Grace, I was so beguiled by the charm of the village and it's delightful residents that I was able to suspend criticality and just enjoy my "visit."

The venue of the story is a colorful coastal village in England. Though a little bleak, the surrounding country side is open and green, with wonderful vistas of the sea, and the village is a cluster of quaint, old, stone buildings along narrow, little streets. The title character, Grace, is the lady of the local manor and presides graciously over the social activities of her neighborhood. Her home is a gorgeous vine covered house in the midst of well kept grounds, a home she loves and which she is unknowingly about to lose due to the capricious financial habits of her philandering and recently deceased spouse. The story turns on Grace's outrageous plans to save her home and the naivety with which she pursues them, assisted or at least abetted by an assortment of delightful neighbors including her gardener, her doctor and even her husband's former mistress.

Grace is played with great skill by Brenda Blethyn. She's pretty and perky and just at "that age" where a women who had been financially independent for most of her life might find it difficult to start anew. Even as she starts on her "life of crime"-"I'm going to be a drugs dealer!"--one can't help but cheer her on for her audacity, just as most of her neighbors come to do. Beset by collection notices with every post, the intrusion of an assessor who arrives as her door to evaluate her house for auction, and phone calls from a persistent London creditor, Grace takes the bull by the horns and bursts-or more properly blunders--onto the drug scene. Craig Ferguson as her Scottish gardener Matthew, is the perfect instigator, naive enough himself to be funny but opportunist enough to see their approach to saving the manor as viable.

Even though my husband and I are frequently at odds with respect to our film preferences, we both enjoyed this movie. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and light hearted way to spend an evening.

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