Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Grace Point review says the relentless suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat. Andrew McCarthy is back!

In Grace Point, the rehab-bound apple doesn’t fall far from the St Elmo’s Fire tree, as John Owen Lowe follows in his father Rob’s cinematic footsteps alongside 80’s heartthrob Andrew McCarthy. This father-son thriller serves up a delicious slice of small-town paranoia with a side of personal demons – both metaphorical and very, very real.

The story kicks off with a classic “wrong turn” setup that would make the Coen Brothers proud: a reluctant rehab patient, a mysteriously hostile town, and a gas station encounter that goes sideways faster than a car with a suspiciously timed engine failure.

But just when you think you’re in for another backwoods chase flick, director Rory Karpf (better known for sports documentaries like I Hate Christian Laettner) shifts gears into something more cerebral.

Grace Point review — scene stealer

McCarthy, whose eternally boyish face has matured like a fine wine, brings gravitas to his role as Winston Hayes, while Jim Parrack steals scenes as Cutter, a wilderness-dwelling veteran whose PTSD oddly makes him more Thoreau than Rambo.

The younger Lowe occasionally stumbles in the high-tension moments, his character’s distress sometimes reading more like a case of indigestion than mortal terror – though he fares better in the quieter, character-driven scenes.

The film’s real strength lies in how it weaves its themes of addiction and family trauma into a taut thriller without feeling preachy. Cinematographer Al Francesco turns the wilderness into a character itself, while Theron Kay‘s score keeps our pulses racing at just the right tempo.

And just when you think you’ve got it figured out, the script throws a curveball that would make M. Night Shyamalan tip his plot-twist cap in respect.

Grace Point isn’t reinventing the wheel, but it’s giving it one hell of a spin. It’s the kind of film that proves you don’t need a Marvel-sized budget to deliver solid entertainment – just a smart script, atmospheric direction, and a cast that knows how to make the most of both. While it starts in familiar territory, by the time the credits roll, you’ll realize this particular rehab journey was anything but by the book.

If this Grace Point review makes you want to run home and watch, find it on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.

Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Grace Point review says the relentless suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat. Andrew McCarthy is back!