infy PASSING THE HOOKUP TO YOU: Grace is Gone

Jim Strouse’s Grace is Gone took Sundance by storm and is the prestige oscar contender from The Weinstein Company this fall. I first read the script last summer in the parking lot of the Culver City Carl’s Jr. Gripping an artery clogging Thickburger™ was not enough to keep me from letting a few tears out as I read those last few pages.

The film centers around a former serviceman whose wife has just been killed in action overseas. He has two young daughters and a soul crushing job managing a chain hardware store. Instead of telling his daughters he skips town, taking them on an impromptu vacation, putting off the emotional fireworks we know are coming.

During Sundance I was able to catch the flick before Harvey got his mitts on it. I felt it didn’t execute as well as it could have. There were rumors of Cusack being a prima-donna on set, bullying his first time director, and an oscar winning bitch who wouldn’t even finish her scene. The cinematography and camera placement screams indie. At times the driving sequences are almost jarring with their abstracted traffic-motivated lighting. The film had a Cat Power score that worked very well.

Harvey’s changes. Apparently he’s scrapped the hipster score and added the schmaltz this film needs with something like the piano heard in the trailer. If you’ve ever read a book on this biz or seen any recent Entourage you know Harvey will do what Harvey wants. Expect a big push from TWC this awards season.

Compare the way Harvey sells the flick above, to how Jim sells it below.