''Gracie's Choice: A Story of Love'' is a 2004 American drama film that premiered on Lifetime. It is written by

Joyce Eliason Joyce Eliason (May 14, 1934 – January 10, 2022) was an American television writer and producer. She was best known for writing TV miniseries including ''Titanic'' and ''The Last Don'', and for the TV film ''The Jacksons: An American Dream''. El ...

; directed by

Peter Werner Peter H. Werner (born January 17, 1947, in New York City, New York) is an American film and television director. Biography Werner was born to a Jewish family, in New York City, New York, one of three children born to Elizabeth (née Grumbach) ...

; and stars

Kristen Bell Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress. Beginning her acting career by starring in stage productions while attending the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, she made her Broadway stage debut as Becky That ...

, Anne Heche, Diane Ladd, and

Kristin Fairlie Kristin Louise Fairlie (born April 22, 1985) is a Canadian actress. In 1998, she won a Young Artist Award for Best Ensemble for her lead role in the Showtime original movie ''The Sweetest Gift''. As a voice actress, Fairlie has voiced the roles ...

Plot

Gracie is a 17-year-old girl whose mother is addicted to drugs. The police arrest her mother and separate the children, but Gracie does whatever she can to keep her family together. Their mother is in and out of their lives, and her sister gets pregnant and runs off to get married, so Gracie takes on the challenge of being the caregiver and guardian to her brothers while putting herself through school and working part time. Eventually Gracie decides that in order to keep the family stable and away from their mother's errant ways, she must petition to adopt her brothers in court. She does so but not without a fight from her mother. Ultimately the judge asks each individual boy who they want to live with, and all three say Gracie despite their mother's pleas. Seeing the stability the boys have found with their sister and taking into account the answers she was given, the judge terminates parental rights of their mother and grants them to Gracie. The trial ends with them adopting the surname of "Weatherly" from all the trials they have weathered, and the story ends with details about how well the new family is doing.

Cast

as Gracie Thompson * Anne Heche as Rowena Lawson * Diane Ladd as Louela Lawson * Shedrack Anderson III as Tommy *

Roberta Maxwell Roberta Farnham Maxwell (born June 17, 1941) is a Canadian stage, film, and television actress. Biography Maxwell began studying for the stage in her early teens. She joined John Clark for two years as the child co-host of his '' Junior Magaz ...

as Judge *

as Rose Carlton * Brian Akins as Ryan Walker * David Gibson McLean as Jonny Blicker * Jack Armstrong as Robbie Locascio * Robert Seeliger as Ray * Sandra Caldwell as Mrs. Thurston

Production notes

Inspired by actual events, the film is based on a story featured in ''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wif ...

'' from staff writer Rena Dictor LeBlanc and is described as being "sure to touch your heart".

Reception

''Gracie's Choice'' received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the acting, story, characters, emotional weight, and both Bell and Heche's performances. Heche was nominated for the 2004 Emmy Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie".

References

External links

* Lifetime (TV network) films Canadian drama television films 2004 television films 2004 films Films directed by Peter Werner American drama television films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films 2000s Canadian films {{Canada-tv-film-stub