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Nearing Grace
Beyond the Box


8.0

based on 11 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 1 votes
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FILM:

MPAA RATING: R for drug use, language and sexual content

Starring Gregory Smith, David Morse, Jordana Brewster, Ashley Johnson, David Moscow, Chad Faust, Brian Doyle-Murray, and Sharon Lawrence

The death of the matriarch removes the anchor of a suburban New Jersey family, letting each member drift into those swift-moving social currents.

GENRE(S):	Drama
WRITTEN BY:	Jacob Aaron Estes Scott Sommer (novel)
DIRECTED BY:	Rick Rosenthal
RELEASE DATE:	Theatrical: October 13, 2006
RUNNING TIME:	105 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Los Angeles Times Michael Ordona

This film is smart, funny and, thanks in no small part to David Geddes' cinematography, it occasionally approaches the poetic.

LA Weekly Scott Foundas

The actors are superb -- especially Smith, who exudes some of the live-wire charisma of the young Sean Penn in Rosenthal's "Bad Boys," and the smoldering Brewster.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

This intimate coming-of-age story benefits from excellent performances, notably Gregory Smith's.

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

The richness of the characters and themes in Nearing Grace inspire director Rick Rosenthal and his cast to create a film with terrific emotional energy and larkish humor.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

The performances by Smith, Brewster and veteran David Morse, as a morbidly depressed widower, elevate Nearing Grace to something near grace.

Village Voice Luke Y. Thompson

This '70s-era teen romance from the director of "Halloween II" and the screenwriter of "Mean Creek" is a quietly effective number, a little like an '80s John Hughes movie without the laughs (not an insult in this case).

The New York Times Laura Kern

There's nothing remotely surprising in the entire film. But the generally winning -- and freakishly good-looking -- cast, endowed by Jacob Aaron Estes's script with intelligent, if occasionally overwritten dialogue, makes for viewing that is easy on the eyes and the ears.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

Scott Sommer's late-1970s coming-of-age novel, with little of the vivid specificity of "Mean Creek," even though the two share a screenwriter and a producer.

Variety Robert Koehler

Without Smith's graceful presence, which more than once resembles Zach Braff's slightly older but observant New Jerseyite in "Garden State," Nearing Grace would be pure video fodder.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Bill White

A coming-of-age movie in which nobody comes of age.

Portland Oregonian Marc Mohan

The sort of movie that makes you feel like a heel for not liking it: Independently made and heartfelt, it also happens to have been shot in Portland. Nonetheless, the accumulation of cliches big and small manage to erase whatever goodwill its other features have engendered.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 1 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Steve F gave it an8:
The casting is superb with amazing performances by all the actors. The story is well constructed but drags in a few places. All in all a good film.

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Nearing Grace Beyond the Box

Nearing Grace
Beyond the Box