For Valentine’s Day Mike, Caleb (11 y.o.), and I squished together on the loveseat and watched Grace Unplugged.

Wow. We really enjoyed it.

This movie never pretends to be anything other than what it is … a fantastic, Christian movie that portrays a Christian teenager (18) whose God-given musical gift might be the very thing that tears her away from Him.

It just happens that we have an 18 year old in our house, who has her own pretty spectacular, God-given gift, and who is beginning to chart her course. We’ve watched her wrestle with many of the same longings and choices, though certainly not to the extent that Grace Trey (A.J. Michalka) does in the music industry.

I think the fact that scenes from the movie felt like carbon copies (I’m aware that I’m dating myself here) of interactions in our home, really built a strong case for the realism in this film. Trust me, we’ve watched plenty of family friendly movies that have left our teens rolling their eyes and grumbling about how cheesy something was. They are quick to call “foul” if something feels fake. Grace Unplugged isn’t one of THOSE movies.

I appreciate a movie that doesn’t tap dance around tough topics, but addresses them in such a way that you can watch them worked out with your kids.  No one’s perfect in this movie. Whew! While Grace certainly makes some decisions that aren’t the best, she never compromises her foundational values. There’s some alcohol consumption and hints of sexual promiscuity, but remember, Grace doesn’t compromise here either.

Here’s a fact: 80% of kids growing up in the Church today make the choice to walk away from the faith of their parents. At some point, everyone has to decide if they are going to own their faith … make it their own rather than adopting the faith of their parents. Ultimately, that’s the crux of this story. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t be able to relate to making that decision themselves or watching their kids wrestle it down.

[Tweet “Faith-Everyone must decide if they will own it themselves or reject their parents’. #graceunplugged “]

We loved this movie so much that we want to make sure that one of you gets to WIN IT and watch it with your own family! It just released this week, so you can absolutely pick up a copy for your family if you aren’t our lucky winner.

[Tweet “3-days to win a copy of the newly released “Grace Unplugged” DVD. Enter to win! Ends 2-17″]

Movie Description

Having just turned 18, Grace Trey (AJ Michalka) aspires to more than just singing at her church, where the worship leader is her father (James Denton), a former pop star. With the help of her dad’s former manager, Grace runs away to Los Angeles and begins to taste the kind of stardom she’s always dreamed about. Yet with each rung of the ladder she climbs, Grace feels more and more pressure to compromise her values, further straining her relationship with her parents. Will everything she experiences lead her to reject her faith or rediscover it? With a star-studded cast, inspiring soundtrack and amazing musical performances, GRACE UNPLUGGED is a heartwarming film that “entertains while bringing families closer together” (Focus on the Family).

Format: Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen, Closed-captioned
Language: English
Subtitles: English, Spanish
Number of discs: 1
Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Lions Gate
DVD Release Date: February 11, 2014
Run Time: 95 minutes+

Amazon

Official Trailer

NOTE: We received an advanced preview of Grace UnPlugged from Grace Hill Media for an honest review of this newly released DVD movie.