Nearing Grace

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Nearing Grace

R

Released Jun 18, 2005

1h 45m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

48%

Tomatometer

21 Reviews

50%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Having recently lost his mother, teenager Henry Nearing (Gregory Smith) develops a crush on seductive classmate Grace (Jordana Brewster), who toys with him. Though he has been friends with Merna (Ashley Johnson) for a long time, he fails to see her sincere attraction to him, instead, he wastes time with the uncaring Grace.

Critics Consensus

This coming-of-age story doesn't dig deep enough to offer anything fresh to the genre.

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Ted Fry

Seattle Times

Moral dilemmas faced by immature teens is fine fare for young-adult fiction, but a movie that wants them to be taken as something bigger needs better management than Nearing Grace can provide.

Rated: 1.5/4

Oct 13, 2006

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Jack Mathews

New York Daily News

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

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 13, 2006

Full Review

Luke Y. Thompson

Village Voice

...cinematic youth has rarely seemed so convincingly uncertain, and Brewster could definitely drive a young guy crazy.

Oct 13, 2006

Full Review

Mike McGranaghan

Aisle Seat

It feels like perhaps the screenplay was intensely personal and/or autobiographical, yet it's suspiciously lacking in any dramatic tension.

Rated: 1/4

Nov 10, 2007

Full Review

Wade Major

Boxoffice Magazine

It's so exceptionally well done, so exceedingly well-cast that it makes one realize how few such films actually succeed at all.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 15, 2006

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Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

A fine coming-of-age drama about a sexually eager young man who discovers that anything is possible with a friend who is loving and trustworthy after years of giving and forgiving.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 13, 2006

Full Review

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Audience Member

Whenever you're scared and running away, You should actually be running toward.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This movie was interesting. I thought that Gregory Smith did a great job at his role along with the rest of the cast and I also found the whole story to be very heart lifting and sad at the same time. It was one of those love storys where you kind of know it's coming way before it does but it still worth watching. All the characters were what i think made the movie so great.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Audience Member

It's easy to call a film cliche, but if that film represents a vision that the filmmaker has always wanted to realize, it's not really fair to dismiss the movie just because someone else got there first. Family dramas often feel the most cliche, because we all live in them everyday. I don't deny that some parts of the film are predictable, but many more are strikingly original and honest - and those are the ones that you'll remember. All of the performances are quite excellent.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

disappointing. even though greg was pretty hot either way

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

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Audience Member

Didn't think I would like this at all. In fact the only reason I even took a glimpse at it was because of the aspect of "eye candy" (Jordana Brewster). As cheesy and over dramatic as the protagonist is written, there are multiple moments in the movie that gets you to reflect on your own memories.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

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Audience Member

For some reason Greg Smith did a good job and was entertaining. The rest was tripe.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

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Rick Rosenthal

Director

Gregory Smith

Henry Nearing

Jordana Brewster

Grace Chance

Ashley Johnson

Merna Ash

Chad Faust

Lance

David Morse

Shep Nearing

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Synopsis

Having recently lost his mother, teenager Henry Nearing (Gregory Smith) develops a crush on seductive classmate Grace (Jordana Brewster), who toys with him. Though he has been friends with Merna (Ashley Johnson) for a long time, he fails to see her sincere attraction to him, instead, he wastes time with the uncaring Grace.

Director: Rick Rosenthal
Producer: Susan Johnson, Rick Rosenthal, Tracy Underwood
Screenwriter: Jacob Aaron Estes
Production Co: Whitewater Films
Rating: R (Drug Use|Sexual Content|Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 18, 2005, Original
Release Date (DVD): Oct 23, 2007
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital