Nearing Grace | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Rick Rosenthal |
Screenplay by | Jacob Aaron Estes |
Based on | Nearing Grace by Scott Sommer |
Produced by | Susan Johnson |
Starring | Gregory Smith David Morse Jordana Brewster |
Cinematography | David Geddes |
Edited by | Madeleine Gavin |
Music by | John Nordstrom |
Distributed by | Whitewater Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 105 minutes |
Language | English |
Nearing Grace is a 2005 film directed by Rick Rosenthal, based on the novel by Scott Sommer.
High school senior Henry Nearing (Gregory Smith) has to cope with the death of his mother and is also forced to come to terms with evolving from a self-absorbed and confused adolescent to accepting the responsibilities of early adulthood. Unfortunately his father, Shep (David Morse), and his older brother, Blair (David Moscow), don't offer guidance and find themselves detaching at the seams. His father quits his teaching job, buys a motorcycle, and becomes a perpetual drunk, while his brother takes off to live as a transient doper. To make things even more complicated, Henry has two young women on his mind: the sexy, wealthy, very popular Grace (Jordana Brewster) and childhood friend Merna (Ashley Johnson)—one girl drives him crazy, and the other girl keeps him sane.
Nearing Grace has a 48% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics consensus being that "this coming-of-age story doesn't dig deep enough to offer anything fresh to the genre."[1] Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Michael Ordoña's review was mixed but ultimately positive, concluding that despite a sometimes lackluster lead performance, the strong supporting cast and clever dialogue allowed the film's strengths to "outweigh its flaws."[2]