If you see the name "Grace Jones," your brain probably goes straight to the high-fashion, androgynous disco queen who used to roar like a lion on stage. But honestly, Saving Grace B. Jones isn't about that Grace Jones. It’s a totally different beast.
This movie is a weird, haunting little indie from 2009 that most people missed. It was the directorial debut of Connie Stevens—yes, the 1960s "Hawaiian Eye" star—and it’s basically a love letter to her own childhood, mixed with a really dark exploration of mental illness in the 1950s. If you’re looking for a flashy biopic about the singer, you’re in the wrong place. But if you want to see Tatum O’Neal give a performance that’ll make your hair stand up, you’ve found it.
What is Saving Grace B. Jones actually about?
The story takes place in 1951 in Boonville, Missouri. We follow a young girl named Carrie, who’s sent to live with her uncle’s family after she witnesses a brutal murder in the city. Her uncle, Landy Bretthorst (played by Michael Biehn), is a local baker who’s just trying to keep his head above water.
The "saving grace" of the title refers to Landy’s sister, Grace B. Jones. She’s been locked away in an insane asylum for 17 years after a tragic accident on her wedding day left her psychologically shattered. Landy decides it’s time to bring her home.
Naturally, the town isn't exactly thrilled. In the 50s, people didn't "do" mental health awareness. They did "stigma" and "fear." The movie captures that claustrophobic small-town vibe perfectly—where everyone knows your business and everyone has an opinion on whether Grace belongs in a cell or a spare bedroom.
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Why Tatum O'Neal’s performance matters
Tatum O'Neal plays Grace. Honestly, she’s fantastic. She’s twitchy, frightened, and sometimes genuinely scary. She captures that specific brand of "undiagnosed schizophrenia" that was so often mismanaged back then.
One minute she’s trying to be a normal sister and aunt, and the next she’s having a full-blown panic attack because she thinks a neighbor's baby is actually her own. It’s heartbreaking. You’ve got Michael Biehn (who you probably know from The Terminator or Aliens) playing the protective brother who refuses to give up on her, even when the rest of the town starts calling for her to be locked back up.
The Great Flood and the descent into thriller territory
The movie starts out looking like a nostalgic, To Kill a Mockingbird style coming-of-age story. You have the kids playing in the sun, the beautiful Missouri landscape, and the "simpler times" aesthetic.
Then the rains start.
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The Missouri River begins to rise, and as the water creeps up, the tension in the house boils over. The flood is a pretty heavy-handed metaphor for Grace’s mental state, but it works. As the town physically starts to go underwater, Grace begins to lose her grip on reality entirely. What starts as a family drama suddenly pivots into a psychological thriller.
The real story behind the film
Connie Stevens didn't just pull this out of thin air. She lived it. When she was 10, she was sent to Boonville to stay with family friends, and she actually witnessed the release and return of a woman who had been institutionalized for years.
- Fact Check: The film is based on Stevens' personal memories of the 1951 Great Flood of Missouri.
- Production: It took Stevens years to get this made. It premiered at the Philadelphia Film Festival in 2009 but didn't get a wide release until years later.
- The Cast: It’s a weirdly stacked cast for such an under-the-radar movie. You’ve got Penelope Ann Miller, Piper Laurie, and Scott Wilson (Hershel from The Walking Dead).
Why did it fly under the radar?
Critically? It didn’t do great. It has a pretty low score on Rotten Tomatoes—somewhere around 14%. Critics at the time complained that the pacing was uneven and that it couldn't decide if it wanted to be a sweet memory play or a scary thriller.
But here’s the thing: audiences liked it way more than critics did. It has a much higher audience score. People connected with the empathy Connie Stevens showed toward the character of Grace. It doesn't treat mental illness like a monster under the bed; it treats it like a tragedy that a family is trying to navigate without a map.
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Actionable Takeaways: Should you watch it?
If you’re a fan of Southern Gothic vibes or 1950s period pieces, you should definitely track this down. It’s currently floating around on various streaming services and DVD.
How to approach it:
- Lower your expectations for "thrills": Despite the marketing, it’s a slow-burn drama first. Don't go in expecting The Silence of the Lambs.
- Watch the performances: Specifically Michael Biehn. We're used to seeing him as a tough soldier, but here he's a vulnerable, tired man trying to do the right thing.
- Contextualize the ending: The climax is bleak. Like, really bleak. If you’re looking for a "happily ever after" where Grace is cured by the power of love, you’re going to be disappointed.
Basically, Saving Grace B. Jones is a flawed but deeply sincere movie. It’s a snapshot of a time when we didn't know how to help people like Grace, and the desperate, messy ways families tried to fill that gap anyway. If you want a deep dive into 50s Americana with a dark, psychological edge, it’s worth the two hours.
To see more of the cast's work, you might want to look into Tatum O'Neal's earlier Oscar-winning turn in Paper Moon or explore the 1950s historical records of the Great Flood of Missouri for a better look at the real-life setting that inspired Connie Stevens.