Getting Grace

Independent films about terminal cancer are often just as downbeat as their big-budget cousins, but Getting Grace is a surprisingly breezy affair. Actor-turned-director Daniel Roebeck introduces teenage Grace (Madelyn Dundon) after she’s undergone chemotherapy. She knows she isn’t going to get better, and she’s made her peace with it. In the opening sequence, Grace wears a wig, but after her latest trip to the doctor, she tosses it out the window, deciding that there’s no reason to hide her condition any more. She follows up by meeting with Bill (Roebuck), a humorless funeral home director, to find out how he would handle her arrangements. Little does he know that she also intends to set him up with her single mother, Venus (Marsha Dietlein Bennett). Grace’s wisecracks flummox Bill, but she hits it off with Mary (Diane Wagner), Bill’s sister, who helps manage the mortuary. She also meets with Ron (Dana Ashbrook), who writes books about spiritual phenomena, to see what sort of wisdom he can impart. Although some of the kids in her cancer ward have a better chance at a successful outcome, they also warm to Bill and Mary. A family-friendly film about terminal cancer surely sounds like a recipe for disaster, but Roebuck strikes the right Capra-esque tone to keep morbidity and schmaltz at bay. Recommended. (K. Fennessy)