A Change of Heart

Jean Smart is a tower of strength as married mother of two who follows a hunch one afternoon and tracks her husband of 20 years to a hotel room--where he's cozily wrapped in a white terrycloth robe and making chit-chat with a strapping man in a matching towel. His secret's out! Of course this is all cliché by now, and some viewers will bemoan that fact and give up right there, but Lifetime's "A Change of Heart" addresses these issues with forceful emotion and realistic exchanges. There's hurt and anger and tears, but Aaron Mendelsohn's teleplay doesn't sink into sap. The male lover isn't given any dimensions--and seems to have a great home of his own, so why were they meeting at a hotel?--and the teenagers involved are tiresomely belligerent. Nevertheless, Jean Smart is the acting centerpiece here and she does the movie a world of good. Her speech to the board of directors where she and her husband work is flawlessly handled, and her bravura spirit at the end will give a lot of viewers hope. A good actress can do that. **1/2 from ****

I have woken up twice in the last two weeks to this movie. (including this morning)

I am wondering why the local TV stations are playing it at 2 and 3am? Could it be the controversial (even now) content?

I am glad it was made, and it was sensitively and smartly done. It should get a wider audience.

The perfect family--Mom, Dad, teenage daughter and son--is thrown into absolute turmoil when Dad is discovered to be a closeted gay with a male lover. The unanimous hysterical reaction of wife and kids to his carefully guarded secret is all too believable. One could question his judgement in marrying and raising a family, but not his fear of the consequence of discovery (which probably drove him into marriage in the first place). In about nine-tenths of this film, knee-jerk responses, closed minds, and programmed thinking reign. Given this, the last few scenes stretch credulity to a cinematic breaking point.

A blisteringly honest, fair-minded appraisal of bisexuality within marriage is just what the world needed. However, it got this instead. Happily-married wifey comes home and finds her hubby in bed with another person - oh alright, another man. That's the story. Enjoy.

Jean Smart's character acts like an absolute bitch to absolutely everyone after her discovery. Everyone who crosses her path gets the full load but she can't even say the words... I realize it's probably your worst nightmare to find out your husband's bisexual, but - as one character aptly puts it - it's better than finding your husband in the arms of a 25-year old bimbo. Hats off to the people who dared to make a movie about the subject! If this means that one more person feels it is now easier to talk about it, this movie has done it's job! If there is an underlying moral, it must be; TALK ABOUT IT! Keep the channels of communication open!