Gracie

In the 1970s, the four Shue children lived for competitive soccer. Today, actors Elizabeth (Leaving Las Vegas) and Andrew (Melrose Place), along with brother John, have teamed up to produce this inspirational sports drama -- in part an homage to their goal-kicking youth, but also to spotlight one of the many small struggles in the 1970s that gave girls equal access to organized sports. Leading the charge is Gracie (Carly Schroeder), a teen hiding her sadness behind willfulness, who finds an outlet -- and a place in her family -- through soccer. Gracie is as familiar as a worn pair of cleats, but its heart and girl-power message is in the right place. Low-key performances from Schroeder, supported by Elizabeth Shue and Dermot Mulroney as her parents, help anchor the story in its comfortably small-scale New Jersey setting. Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) directs, and yes, despite the use of boat-sized 1970s cars, this film has been certified a "carbon neutral production." Starts Fri., June 1. (AH)