Amazing Grace and Chuck

Plot

When young Chuck Murdock (Joshua Zuehlke) visits a nuclear missile site, he learns that one bomb would destroy the earth in less time than it would take a piece of silverware to drop from his hand to the floor. This information sends the sensitive boy into existential angst. Wondering why anybody should do anything when the world can be destroyed so quickly, and hoping to raise consciousness about nuclear weapons, Chuck quits his Little League team. He gains a little bit of local press. One of those stories is read by NBA star "Amazing Grace" Smith (Alex English), who is so moved by the boy's story that he too quits playing his sport. This produces a great deal of national press, as well as a handful of stars from other sports that decide to join the ranks of Amazing Grace and Chuck. Some powers that be in the sports world, as well as the government, do not look kindly upon these "strikes" and set about to end the movement. Amazing Grace and Chuck came near the end of a cycle of nuclear anxiety films that included Testament, The Day After, and Threads. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Review

Mike Newell's Amazing Grace and Chuck is an old-fashioned message movie about a very modern fear. The escalation of nuclear weaponry during the '80s produced more than a handful of post-apocalyptic nightmare films. This film is less interested in scaring its audience than in getting them to actively prevent these doomsday scenarios from ever becoming a reality. This is a film that does not exist outside its very powerful premise. There is a hermetic, fairy-tale quality to the film. If one thinks about the feasibility of such a series of events, it would be impossible to suspend disbelief. But there is real power and emotional involvement in the film while it is being viewed. Joshua Zuehlke has wise, soulful eyes that go a long way toward communicating the fears he feels. Alex English, a true NBA standout, delivers a strong performance as a man shaken out of complacency by his conscience. Mike Newell's direction is low-key, but controlled. There is a strong sense of inevitability and purpose in the visuals. The film is too didactic to be great, but its heart is in the right place. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Cast

• Jamie Lee Curtis - Lynn Taylor
• Alex English - Amazing Grace Smith
• Gregory Peck - President
• William Petersen - Russell Murdock
• Joshua Zuehlke - Chuck Murdock

Dennis Lipscomb - Johnny B. Goode; Lee Richardson - Jeffries; Dean Alexander - Sports Broadcaster; Jim Antonio - Strickland; Red Auerbach - Himself; Alan Autry - George; Michael Bond - Aide; Steven Bothun - Reporter; Michael Bowen - Hot Dog; Frances Conroy - Pamela Murdock; Clarence Felder - Dick Ferguson; Natalie Oliver - Boston Reporter; Robert Schenkkan - Pollack; Vasek Simek - Soviet Premier; Cara Wilder - Laura; Jim Allen - Missile Soldier; John Russell - Stuart Shipley; Harvey Martin - Mad Dog; James Cotterell - Third Baseman; Lynne Turner Fitzgerald - Network Anchor; Brian R. Hager - First Baseman; James Lindley Hathaway - Jerome; Matt Kerns - Shortstop; Cortney Kutner - Carolyn; Johnny Most - Himself; Kurt Olsson - Tommy; Gwen Petersen - Teacher; Maite Petersen - School Girl; Joe Sabatini - Airplane Mechanic; Harris Smithe - Soldier; Rudolf Svehia - Russian Translator; Manfred Sypold - Johann; Robert Tilson - Soldier; James Toumey - Aide; A.J. Kallan - Man in Truck; Robert Harper - Bowman

Credit

John Myhre - Art Director, Mali Finn - Casting, Ted Turner - Consultant/advisor, Jack Buehler - Costume Designer, John T. Kretchmer - First Assistant Director, Mike Newell - Director, Peter Hollywood - Editor, Roger M. Rothstein - Executive Producer, Elmer Bernstein - Composer (Music Score), Kathy Estocin - Makeup, Dena Roth - Production Designer, Robert Elswit - Cinematographer, David Field - Producer, Dawn Snyder - Set Designer, Michael Taylor - Set Designer, Rick Kerrigan - Special Effects, Jonathan "Earl" Stein - Sound/Sound Designer, Orwin Harvey - Stunts, Ronald Bass - Screenwriter, Naomi Foner - Screenwriter, David Field - Screenwriter, Timothy R. Sexton - Executive Music Producer

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