Desperate for cash, she seeks the help of her pot-smoking gardener Matthew (Craig Ferguson, who also co-wrote the screenplay). Matthew is a good and loyal worker, but he is well-known for growing a secret stash of marijuana beneath the pine trees that rest behind the church. Grace figures that her gardening and Matthew's drug knowledge could make an interesting pairing. Together, they begin growing super-potent marijuana, which they then plan to sell in a one-shot drug deal. When their buds are in bloom, Grace travels to a seedy section of London to peddle her wares via a slimy dealer (Tcheky Karyo).

Brenda Blethyn and Craig Ferguson go one toke over the line in Saving Grace

The central joke in Saving Grace is that this prim and proper lady is forced to become a dope pusher. The problem is that there's really not much that's funny about smoking pot, and the few things that are funny about it have already been covered endlessly by Cheech and Chong. By now, I don't find jokes about getting the "munchies" to be all that humorous. The film also makes sure that a couple of little old ladies accidentally ingest some of the drug, believing it to be tea. (I'm not exactly holding my sides with laughter, and I doubt you are either.) Pot comedy was admittedly cutting edge in the 1970's, when use of the drug had rarely been shown on-screen outside of "issue films" like Reefer Madness. There's nothing left that's fresh or new about the subject, so Saving Grace just covers old ground.

The plot also contains a lot of predictable nonsense about the efforts of Grace and Matthew to hide their stash from the rest of the town. A nosy cop keeps poking his head around, especially at night, when the hydroponic lights used to accelerate the growth of the pot can be seen from miles away. The grand finale is like a Timothy Leary wet dream, in which all the town's residents get high simultaneously. Again, the jokes are pretty standard with no fresh insight or perspective. Basically, everyone falls into fits of uncontrollable laughter.

The performances almost save the picture. Blethyn (an Oscar nominee for Secrets & Lies a few years back) fits the role well, especially in the scenes where she tries to sell the pot. She is the least likely drug dealer you will ever see, and she knows it. Blethyn takes the "fish out of water" idea and runs with it. The best performance, however, comes from Craig Ferguson (who plays Mr. Wick on "The Drew Carey Show"). He proves to be a very talented actor with a real screen presence. Matthew's girlfriend disapproves of his pot smoking ways, and while he wants to be a good man for her, he also feels a loyalty to Grace. This is an interesting character who I'd like to see in a better film.

Good acting and a few individually effective scenes unfortunately can't compensate for a thin premise and hackneyed humor. If the very thought of people getting goofy after smoking the "wacky tobacky" gives you a case of the giggles, you may enjoy the movie. If, like me, you find pot comedy to be monotonous, you're better off to just say no.

( out of four)

Saving Grace is rated R for drug content, language, and brief nudity. The running time is 1 hour and 35 minutes.