“Getting Grace” Previews at Regal River Ridge

The Regal River Ridge Stadium 14 hosted a free sneak peek and cast meet-and-greet March 10 for the upcoming movie “Getting Grace.”

Director and writer Daniel Roebucks and actor Tim Goodwin attended the screening as part of the “Getting Grace” tour that is to be continued through March, leading up to the movie’s nationwide premiere March 23.

Actress Madelyn Dundon starred in her movie debut as the main character, Grace. The quirky 16-year-old character, who is suffering from cancer, brought unexpected grace to the people and situations around her.

Grace met an unlikely friend, a mortician named Bill who is played by Roebucks, when she stumbled into his funeral home, wanting to know what would happen to her after she died.

“Some people get Grace, and others don’t,” Venus, Grace’s mother played by actress Marsha Dietlein, said.

According to Roebucks, the comedy was a nine-year project that had the hand of God on it the entire time.

“So, ‘Getting Grace’ is a movie made with obviously a lot of love and lot of prayer, a lot of inspiration, and absolutely God’s hand and intervention on this entire process,” Roebucks said.

Roebucks said God’s reach was far when he found Dundon on his high school theater’s stage while visiting the high school and realized he had directed her father in a play when he was 13-years-old.

“When I went back to my high school, they redid the auditorium, and the principle said, ‘I got these theater kids, let me show you around,’” Roebucks said. “I had been working on the script for years, and there was Maddie Dundon all grown up and nuts, just like my daughter whom this character is based off of.”

From casting, to the figures of speech and cursing, Roebucks said there was nothing in the movie that was unintentional.

“Some people may be turned off by the cussing …,” Roebucks said. “My intent was to make a movie that reflected life as we know it as a whole, not as we know it in a little slice of it. As a whole, this is how people act.”

Following the screening of “Getting Grace,” Roebucks and Goodwin took questions from the audience about the actors, filming and more. Roebucks introduced the movie’s merchandise, such as a T-shirt, movie soundtrack and a program with more information about the movie.

Roebucks said there were also free tissues with information on the package about how to rate “Getting Grace” on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes and cards from the National Funeral Directors Association with 50 questions to ask loved ones to get to know them better.

All proceeds from the merchandise went to paying for the travel expenses for the tour, which continues through March 17 in several states featuring free movie screenings and merchandise available to purchase. To reserve a free ticket and see where the tour is stopping next, go the “Getting Grace” Facebook page.