Grace of My Heart

Allison Anders, USA 1996, 115 mins

In this, her third film, director Allison Anders provides a convincing and stylish updating of the classic Hollywood "women's picture" melodrama. Taking the lead role of Denise Waverly, a songwriter whose career is closely based on that of Carole King, Illeana Douglas also convinces in a winning leading lady performance.

In 1958, Philadelphia-born steel heiress Edina Buxton enters a local singing competition and wins. Her prize however, a New York recording contract, is a myth. A sympathetic producer puts her in touch with publisher-manager Joel Millner (John Turturro) and his group The Stylettes who proceed to have a hit with her song. Millner changes her name to Denise Waverly and hires her as a songwriter.

Denise then teams up with fellow writer Howard Cazsatt (Eric Stoltz). They beome lovers and have a child but their brand of socially aware songwriting gets their music banned. She discovers Howard with another woman and embarks on a series of relationships with suitably unsuitable men including Matt Dillon as doomed Brian Wilson figure Jay Phillips.

Phillip's death promts Denise to retire to the hippie communes of the late sixties/early seventies before she is rescued by Millner and gets to record her album "Grace of My Heart" which, like King's Tapestry, becomes an enormous best-seller.

The artistic and commercial success of the album gives the movie a pleasing and convincing closure and illustrates Anders' very generous treatment of the different styles of music portrayed throughout the film. With an original soundtrack written by Gerry Goffin, Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello, the music does not disappoint, providing an extra layer of meaning and emotional resonance to the film.

Grace of my Heart is what Allison Anders does best - scene after scene of lively, funny and surprising woman-to-woman moments.

Geof Jarvis
EUFS Programme 1998-99