Hollywood makes many types of movies. There are so many. There are rom-coms, comic book films, action films and violent films. Many of these are green lighted because they guarantee a healthy return. Movies that are Christian themed are not always produced by major studios. It is felt that these don’t merit major money. The fact is in the movie industry, there isn’t a need for smaller pictures to be financially successful. They can go to premium cable channels, streaming services and DVD, after their initial release. Many of these films have good stories. The script for Grace Unplugged, was written by its director, Brad J. Silverman. The job of a director is very difficult. The only thing that might come close is writing a screenplay. Silverman has done well.
The story is simple. It’s small town teenager, Grace Trey, (A. J. Michalka), meets bright lights, big city. She is singing in her Alabama church with her dad, Johnny. She loves doing this, but yearns to branch out into music. She has a major disagreement with her father about performing. The situation is magnified, when Grace’s mother, Michelle, tells her that she agrees with her husband, Johnny. Grace’s dream of a music future, lands on her doorstep. This is in the form of Frank (Mossy) Mostin, ( Kevin Pollak), who was Johnny Trey’s former manager, until Johnny’s career crashed and burned. He has come to offer him a record deal. Johnny isn’t interested. Mossy doesn’t want to go back with no one, so he goes to Grace, offering her what she wants. She tells her parents, and both of them say no. Grace wanting her dream, goes with Mossy, leaving her parents broken-hearted.
Grace get to the big city, and promises are made. She is made over in the image of a pop queen. There is even a created romance with a tv star, Jay Grayson, (Zane Holtz). She starts to fall for him, but finds out, that he is just using her. This brings her to the hard reality of the entertainment industry. She isn’t deterred and is delighted to find she will be touring with a major star in the industry. Grace should be happy, but becomes disenchanted. Mossy tells her to get with the program, and goes on tour. On the tour is a stop in her hometown, where she reunites with her family. This makes her happy, and yearning for her simpler, uncomplicated life.
Grace returns to LA. She is still not comfortable, despite her success. She had, before going on tour met a man, Quentin, (Michael Welch). He is a gopher for the record company. Quentin, like Grace, still has his Christian faith. He invites Grace to have dinner with his family. She enjoys it because it reminds her of her home. She later tells Quentin how unhappy she is. Quentin says to look to her faith to see what she wants.
Grace Unplugged is a movie whose story isn’t entirely original. What movie is? The central point is how faith guides us to what we really need, and not what we want. There are films with Christianity as the central focus. They work well and give a good message. Hollywood should see this, and make more of them.