Despite what I have read about this movie, this was not one of John Cusack's more impressive performances. He definitely looked the part, shedding his usual cool and stylish baggy relaxed fit wardrobe for a more uptight and preppy businessman's duds. Even changing his shaggy boyish hairstyle for a more groomed, side parted slick do and gaining a few extra pounds to take on the role of the insecure and ashamed loser husband. However these physical alterations were not enough to transform Cusack into Stanley Phillips, the detached husband and father who must find a way to tell his young daughters that their mother Grace, a soldier in Iraq, has been killed in the line of duty. Unable to communicate the truth to his girls, and possibly trying to run from the truth himself, Stanley decides to take them on a sudden road trip to a theme park. However along the way he discovers the true value of family and most importantly how vital communication and honesty are to a family. He also learns that he can find the strength and confidence that he lacks in the love and closeness of his own family.

What promises to be an emotional rollercoaster never really gets off of the ground. The story itself is very sad and heart felt but something was missing in the presentation. Maybe it was the dialogue or perhaps the lack of action, but somehow I just didn't care or sympathize with any of the characters. The whole movie felt fake and dull. I never believed for one second that these characters were a family or that they were going through any kind of crisis. Furthermore, what I suspect was meant to be a suspenseful and dramatic wait in anticipation of Stanley finally revealing the truth to his daughters, felt more like a drawn out and boring bunch of useless filler.

I can not exactly pin point what is missing from this movie but I am absolutely sure that it is not that Cusack is unable to play the role of a sympathetic dad. If you would like to see him in a truly brilliant performance as a single father check out "Martian Child", but don't forget the tissues cause you are going to need them. Regardless of the talented actors and even the excellent performances by the two young actresses in this film do not expect a dramatic or emotionally moving movie. Sadly "Grace is Gone" is slow-moving and boring with no connection between either the co-starts or the characters and their audience.