As the July issue of Playboy featuring gold-medal winning Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard is due to hit the stands any day now, suddenly, this slight entry to the inspirational sports movie genre seems seismic in its importance. Although "Gracie" overgeneralizes a bit(soccer is not a preventive measure against teen pregnancy), it does do a decent job of capturing the social mores of the recent past, when female athletes were largely marginalized on the basis of their sex. Carly Schroeder(the girl from "Mean Creek" is all grown up now; keep your clothes on Carly) doesn't convince you of her athleticism through her on-field exploits(credit the editor); she does it with her face. This is a very good young actress. Beard's decision to disrobe is a tragic one; so utterly antithetical to the spirit of Title IX and all the young girls who said, "F*** cheerleading. I wanna play," you just want to slap her. There's a moment in "Gracie" that speaks volumes about the positive ramifications of women gaining full access to an arena that was previously the domain of men. It's a small scene, but a key one, in which Gracie stands in front of a full-length mirror; not to check on the progress of her boobs, but rather, the muscles she had developed on her biceps from weight-training and chin-ups. If it wasn't for Title IX, the life of a certain young teenage girl might've turned out differently. Who would Ralph Macchio take to the arcade in "The Karate Kid"?… Expand

Despite the cliches, this is a good Hollywood sports hero story. Its been told thousands of times before, but it never gets old especially when you have a plucky heroine who refuses to give in to those telling her to quit. I admit I am a sucker for these plots and surrender easily to the emotions of the characters struggling to triumph...especially when they win just before the final credits....

It's a fun little movie, certainly on the high end of cliched sports flicks. Carly is great in her role, and I really liked what Mulroney does with his part. It's pared down and real - not predictable. A really good family film, especially for families with athletic daughters.