Grace: Brenda Blethyn	Matthew: Craig Ferguson
Dr. Bamford: Martin Clunes	Jacques: Tcheky Karyo
Director: Nigel Cole

30 Second Bottom Line: A proper, law abiding woman nearing retirement, resorts to growing marijuana after her husband commits suicide and leaves her with enormous debts.

Story Line: Grace (Brenda Blethyn) is sad because of the death of her husband, and the pity extended by her friends and neighbors. When she learns how deep in debt her husband has left her, she literally does not know what to do. Unlike Blethyn's role in "Secrets and Lies", where she was quite serious, and "Little Voice" which was a little lighter, "Saving Grace" moves all the way to an all out comedy.

As the creditors start to close in on Grace, her lawn tractor is literally repossessed from her gardener Matthew (Craig Ferguson) while he is cutting the front lawn. She has to let him go because she can no longer afford to pay him. Grace is known for her gardening ability, as evidenced by the many robust plants in her green house. Matthew asks for some advice on his secret marijuana garden. One thing leads to another, and before you know it, Grace calculates that she can get out of debt if she turns her green house into a marijuana field.

Matthew's girlfriend is a fisherman, ala the captain in "The Perfect Storm". She wants him to "stop shopping around…dukeing of Earl", and in general, stop wasting his life in the pub and being a small time drug dealer. She turns up the heat when she learns she is pregnant and is concerned that the father of her baby could wind up in jail and the family she wants will never be realized.

The story could have a hard edge to it, but the director Nigel Cole ensures we know this is to be a lighthearted comedy. When the new grow lights are turned on in the greenhouse, they light up the sky like the Northern Lights in a surreal manner.

Tell Me More About It: Events become complicated as the loan officer at the bank becomes aggressive to collect the debts due. Matthew must decide where his allegiance is, to being a playboy or a father. Grace learns that her husband had a girlfriend, of the more than one night stand variety. The girlfriend eventually gives Grace some advice on how to go into London and meet with low life drug dealers to market her weed.

"Saving Grace" is a delightfully fun movie with lots of laughs with the feel of "Notting Hill" (Julia Roberts & Hugh Grant). This has more of an art film feel because of the eccentricity of the characters; the up tempo music ("Shaft" like); and more than anything, the color and lighting in scenes. Many shots would make beautiful stills that you'd want to hang in your living room.

Having seen the documentary "Grass" not that long ago, makes it somewhat difficult to look at a film that deals so deeply with marijuana and think that anything involving the law and growing of the plant could be funny. "Saving Grace" would have been more humorous if our laws with respect to drugs were not so unfair and egregious depending on one's economic status and race in the US.

This is a comedy from start to finish, and the somewhat goofy ending is fitting for what precedes it. That's more than can be said for the recently released "Hollow Man", which starts out great and ends as a dud. "Saving Grace" sets an expectation of having a good time and delivers.

Brenda Blethyn: "Secrets & Lies"	Craig Ferguson: "The Big Tease"
Nigel Cole: "Cold Feet"- TV