Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- nostalgic
- witty
- warm
- music movie night
- nostalgic weekend viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film’s contagious vitality, original period music, Illeana Douglas’s performance, and vivid Brill Building sequences, while finding the compressed story uneven and less focused in its California relationship arc.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Denise sacrifices performing opportunities while navigating rejection, exploitation, and expectations imposed by recording executives and male collaborators.
The film stages Brill Building songwriting and recording sessions through original songs modeled on early-to-mid-1960s popular music.
A celebrated sequence follows a song from the street experience that inspires it through writing and its recording session.
Denise writes hits that launch other singers while her own ambitions as a performer are repeatedly deferred.
Films like Grace of My Heart, and why
That Thing You Do!
1960s pop music industry, original retro-styled songs, and an ensemble drama about artistic ambition
Coal Miner's Daughter
female-centered music drama combining personal sacrifice, creative ambition, and performance-driven storytelling
The Rose
emotionally charged singer-songwriter narrative with industry pressures and a woman fighting for artistic identity
Nashville
music-business drama centered on songwriting, celebrity, and the tension between commerce and self-expression
Movie Details
- Director
- Allison Anders
- Release Date
- 1996-09-13
- Runtime
- 116 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (66)
Cast
- Illeana Douglas
- Matt Dillon
- Eric Stoltz
- Patsy Kensit
- John Turturro
- Bruce Davison
- Jennifer Leigh Warren
- David Clennon
- Christina Pickles
- Sissy Boyd
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Grace of My Heart about?
- A gifted 1960s songwriter gives away the spotlight to build other singers’ careers before reclaiming her own artistic voice.
- What is Grace of My Heart like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Grace of My Heart as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Grace of My Heart violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Grace of My Heart as mild.
- What did critics think of Grace of My Heart?
- Critics broadly praised the film’s contagious vitality, original period music, Illeana Douglas’s performance, and vivid Brill Building sequences, while finding the compressed story uneven and less focused in its California relationship arc.
- Which films are like Grace of My Heart?
- Films with a similar feel include That Thing You Do!, Coal Miner's Daughter, The Rose, and Nashville.
- How long is Grace of My Heart?
- Grace of My Heart runs 116 minutes.
- Where can I watch Grace of My Heart?
- In United States, Grace of My Heart streams on Criterion Channel.
