28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of My Favorites of All Time, June 12, 2003
This review is from: Amazing Grace and Chuck [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Amazing Grace and Chuck has remained one of my all time favorite movies after all of these years. It is simple and idealistic, but as a peace lover "wouldn't it be nice". I saw an interview with Gregory Peck talking to Johnny Carson, talking about the movie and waited and waited to see it. It never came to Wichita, but I saw it in Kansas City. I have used it at school on many occasions to teach students that it is important to have a cause - I don't care what it is, but something you are willing to make a sacrifice for. The acting was understated, the message loud and clear. I still recommend it.
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fantasy about how things might be....., November 24, 2005
This movie, in my opinion, is one of the most overlooked and unappreciated movies in film history. Most people have dismissed it as being unrealistic and far fetched. I think that they have missed the point. I don't think this movie was intended to be received as a potentially plausible solution to the menace of the Nuclear threat presented by the Cold War, but rather an idealistic fairy tale about how one, seemingly ordinary boy, could change the world.
This opinion is evident in the quote that is flashed on the screen stating "But wouldn't it be nice...". That quote is your cue that you are about to be drawn into a representation of a more perfect world; one where all people discover a way to lay down their arms and live together peacefully.
Granted, the actors that portray Chuck and Amazing Grace were both newcomers, so their performances are somewhat amaturish at times. Nonetheless, Alex English does a good job for his first (and I think only) turn at dramatic acting. And Joshua Zhulke absolutely shines in his portrayal of Chuck.
Then there are the wonderful pros as well. Jamie Lee Curtis is brilliant, as always, in one of her first dramatic, post Horror Genre, performances. Frances Conroy fits easily and seemlessly into her role as Chuck's mother. And William Petersen presents us with a glimpse of how he attained his future success through his spot-on performance as Chuck's Father. One of my favorite moments in this film is when Petersen's character swallows his pride and tells his son that he is proud of him in spite of the fact that Chuck's actions have caused a major disruption in the lives of his family, his community and his Father's career in particular.
Believeable or not, you cannot leave this move without having ridden a rollor coaster of emotions from joy to sorrow; amusement to greif; desolation to elation. You will laugh. You will cry and your faith in humanity will, in someway, be changed forever.
I highly recommend this movie for the entire family. I have watched it innumerable times and have never been disappointed. I don't think you will be either.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Finest Movie Featuring a Denver Nugget Ever Made, July 18, 2002
This review is from: Amazing Grace and Chuck [VHS] (VHS Tape)
There have been many movies starring members of the Denver Nuggets - Blair Rassmussen's "Waiting For Lefty", Bill Hanzlick's "Ethan Frome", and Michael Adams's "Macbeth" are perhaps the best known - but "Amazing Grace and Chuck" is the best of the lot. Alex English turns in a woefully neglected performance as "Amazing Grace" Smith, a Boston Celtics player who hates nuclear war as much as a Montana Little League star named Chuck. Symbolism abounds in this film which, at its best, recalls Bergman's most challenging films. Were there only one film that I could select for future audiences to view, "Amazing Grace and Chuck" would be that film. And if I could select a book to save with this masterpiece, "The English Language" by Alex English would be that book. Remember how Adams could hit those three-pointers? Good God, he was amzazing.
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