Gracie tells the true story of Elisabeth Shue

But Carly Schroeder could have saved him the trouble.

"I had the script two years before they cast the movie," she said. "And as soon as I read it, I thought, 'This is the perfect girl part for me.' "

By the time she was cast, she'd even grown to the character's age of 15. It's at that age that fictional Gracie tries joining an all-boys soccer team at a New Jersey high school in 1978.

The same course was taken as a teen by Shue's sister, Oscar-nominated actress Elisabeth Shue (Leaving Las Vegas). Gracie, opening Friday, is inspired by her story, and also by the accidental death of their soccer-star brother William in 1986.

Indeed, the film is a family affair. Alongside Dermot Mulroney as Gracie's father, Elisabeth plays her mother. Her husband, Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth), directed. He, Elisabeth and Andrew also served as producers, and Andrew played a soccer coach.

"It was a therapeutic experience for us," Andrew said when he and Schroeder visited Houston recently. "My sister and I wanted to honor our brother. All of us have had different tragedies, and we want everyone to relate to our film."

Its first concept was "an underdog soccer movie about our brother, who made us realize life is short, so you have to find meaningful things and work for people you love."

But Andrew then realized his sister was the real underdog of the story.

"She was the only girl in a male-dominated, sports-obsessed family," he said. "She was that fierce, spirited girl in the film who constantly surprised us with her desire to be counted."

Thanks to Title IX initiatives — efforts to enforce federal gender-equality laws in education — and to Elisabeth "breaking down the barriers," her school soon formed its first girls soccer team. Gracie ends by stating that 5 million girls play soccer in the United States.

With that spirit in mind, Andrew asked a favor of a friend in New Jersey, where he's lived since leaving Hollywood after a six-year run on Melrose Place. (An online entrepreneur, he's a co-founder, along with Meredith Vieira, of social network Cafe Mom.)

Bruce Springsteen, who has let few of his songs be in movies, let the film use Growin' Up, from his 1973 debut disc, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. "He had the perfect song for this," Andrew said.

Infusing Gracie with its rebellious spirit, it includes the lyrics, "When they said sit down, I stood up."

Schroeder's own gumption helped make her ideal to play Gracie.

"I'm a very competitive person," said Schroeder, 16. "As the only girl on an all-boys wrestling team in school, I had guys say the rudest, nastiest things to me, just because I was a girl.

"Well, when someone mocks me or says something infuriating, it's over. They had no chance. At age 13 I beat guys up to age 18. Forget about it."

An Indiana native, Schroeder moved with her family to Los Angeles when she was 6 and for the next five years played Serena Baldwin on daytime soaps General Hospital and Port Charles. She then joined Lizzie McGuire, starring Houston-born Hilary Duff.

"Hilary was one of the first people I met when I came to Hollywood," Schroeder said. "She was so sweet to me — like a big sister."

While on Lizzie Maguire, "we were a little bad sometimes," she said. " We'd write our names in rubber cement behind the stage, and between takes we'd go out and throw matches at it, and it'd catch on fire, and our names would go up in flames."

Since Lizzie, Schroeder has moved into films. She played Harrison Ford's kidnapped daughter in Firewall and was top-billed in Eye of the Dolphin. (Younger brother Hunter plays her brother in Gracie.)

Being a working actress while growing up "is like a sport or a hobby for me," Schroeder said. "I'm just a normal kid. I'm not trapped by it."

Similarly, Andrew wanted "a normal life" after feeling trapped by his six-year contract on Melrose Place. "I wanted to raise our three boys in a normal environment, so I moved back to New Jersey (in 2000) and went into business.

"I don't know if I'll produce more, but that's cool, too, because you call the shots, control the spending and can work from your own house. We shot Gracie in New Jersey. It's a homegrown project."

Besides family, soccer is a big part of the film's passion.

"Naysayers think it's not exciting — that it's a wussy sport," Andrew said. "But it's incredibly physical. So in Gracie we broke it down to dramatic moments, to show the skill and speed."

Schroeder had played "a little soccer, but I didn't realize how hard and intense it was till I started training for Gracie."

At first Andrew sought a strong soccer player who also could act. "But we wound up looking for an experienced actress who had athletic ability as well."

They also were swayed by Schroeder. Perhaps she was Gracie, after all.

"Carly didn't just audition," Andrew said. "She made it clear. She came in and said, 'I'm doing this part, and I'll tell you why.' "

That's Carly — and that's Gracie and Elisabeth. When someone says sit down, they stand up.