Common Ground

COMMON GROUND sports excellent acting and generally very strong writing as it tackles different shadings of the gay experience in a small town setting. Small towns can be most unforgiving about differences, especially differences that are hated and feared, like homosexuality. This was brought across quite well in COMMON GROUND which traces gay/lesbian life in three different time settings: 50s, 70s, and the present day. By far the strongest segments were the first two. The last, written by Harvey Feirstein, was lighter in nature, which isn't a bad thing, but the characters were not as fleshed out as in the prior segments. Overall, though, it is an excellent show and a must see for everyone to get a glimpse of the gay experience in America.

A trilogy of gay/lesbian stories tracing societal attitudes towards homosexuals and the homosexual lifestyle from the 1950's to the present, this is the first "legacy" film for gays.

Superbly written, acted and produced, the three tales revolve around the themes of prejudice and acceptance, with the middle story of a young student's "coming out" as an impetus for his role model teacher's lifestyle disclosure, being the standout episode and should be seen by anyone wrestling with their sexual identity.

Bravo Paramount and Showtime for this outstanding and compassionate film.

This movie is composed of three short stories, all of them about homosexuality and in the small city of Homer. The first on passes in 1954, when a navy officer (the great actress Brittany Murphy) returns to Homer after quitting Navy. When the locals find out that indeed she was expelled from the Navy because of sexual deviation (i.e., lesbianism), she is discriminated and rejected by them. The second one takes place in 1974, and is about a teacher of French, gay not assumed aiming to be the principal of his school, and his best student, who is not secure of his sexual identity. The last one is in 2000 and is about a gay wedding between two successful men. When I watch a movie, I never read anything about it, because I want to have my own opinion. This film was a great surprise for me: its proposal is to show and discuss the prejudice of the society (who shares the common ground) against homosexuals and it is very well presented. The screenplay, performances and direction are superb, but I really would like to highlight the first short story: Brittany Murphy is really a great actress and has an outstanding performance. My vote is eight.

Like many three-part anthology movies, "Common Ground" is a definite mixed bag. An examination of changing attitudes toward gay people in the past half-century or so in a small Connecticut town, it was written by three prominent gay playwrites--Paula Vogel, Terrence McNally and Harvey Fierstein--and performed by a large cast of familiar actors obviously attracted by the weight and "importance" of the project.

Of the three stories, Vogel's opening segment is by far the best. Set is 1954, it follows a young Naval woman home to Homer, Connecticut after she is given a dishonorable discharge due to "sexual deviancy." Not surprisingly, her return home is not a happy one as news of her "crime" spreads and the townspeople--including her mother--turn on her in a disgusting (but understandable considering the ignorance of the era) display of intolerance. Rising actress Brittany Murphy (so good in very different roles in "Girl, Interrupted," TV's "David and Lisa," and "Clueless") is wonderful as the woman, displaying a touching range of emotions from wonder and excitement when she first visits a gay bar, to sadness and shame as the same townspeople who have known her all her life and at first welcome her return make it clear she is no longer welcome in their midst. She is ably supported by Margot Kidder (looking like she's aged forty years in the past twenty--a far cry from Lois Lane) as the mother and Helen Shaver as a sympathetic restaurant owner.

The second segment is also strong but not as well developed. Written by McNally and set in 1974, it centers on the harassment and hostility directed by bullies toward a gay high school student just emerging from the closet. Jonathan Taylor Thomas is surprisingly strong in this segment as the gay student--a far cry from his previous performances which quite frankly have never impressed me much. Steven Weber costars as a closeted gay teacher who refuses to help the student out of fear his secret will be revealed until a shocking act of violence in the school shower forces him to deal with his own lack of honesty about his sexuality.

What keeps this segment from hitting the bullseye is some unlikely plot developments in the last five minutes--and the character of Weber's lover, who doesn't seem to have much idea of what Weber could lose if he did come out and is, in my opinion, a wholly self-centered and unsympathetic partner. Let's face it, it's unrealistic to think that a gay teacher could come out in 1974 and even think of keeping his job. But the segment redeems itself with the resolution of the student's story--his character is true and believable and Thomas acquits himself nicely in the role. He deserves a chance at more roles like this than in mindless pap like "I'll Be Home for Christmas."

The final segment, unfortunately, is dreadful. Written by Fierstein, it centers on an unbelievable gay wedding and the relationship between a father and gay son played by Ed Asner and James LeGros. Set in the present day, the entire segment is marred by Fierstein's flip, bitchy gay humor and minor characters that are unnecessary. Fierstein even writes himself a role as a stereotypical, princing gay florist; personally, I find him to be much more appealing when he is playing against type, but that's only part of the problem: every time a valid point is made in the segment he shoots himself in the foot by following it with a Neil Simonesque gay joke that points out the fact that the entire episode is not grounded in reality but in a playwrite's fantasy. Sadly, it is also unrealistic to think that even in 2000, a small town of 24,000 would be so welcome to a gay wedding that the town council would approve it being held at the community center in front of a war memorial which is the centerpiece of the town square. In my own state of California, which is considered liberal and trend-setting, an anti-gay marriage proposition (#22) on this year's primary ballot enjoys widespread support so I seriously doubt a town would be so supportive and that only a handful of churchgoers and veterans would protest. Maybe I'm wrong, but sadly I don't think so.

In all, however, "Common Ground" is a noble, well-intentioned and worthwhile effort. I give it *** out of **** or a 7 out of 10.

This movie is a powerful portrayal of gay life and homophobia in small-town America, in this case Homer, Connecticut. Narrated through all three vignettes by Eric Stoltz's character, the character is 6 or so in "1954" when a young woman (Brittany Murphy) returns from the Navy with a Section 8 discharge for "deviant sexual behavior". In "1974", Stoltz is a fresh-from-Vietnam veteran tending grounds at the town war memorial at a time when the high school's star swimmer (Johnathan Taylor Thomas) wants to come out to his French teacher (Stephen Weber). In the last vignette, Stoltz's groundskeeper is greying, and some in the town (mostly veterans and church-goers) are protesting the marriage of two gay men, one of whom has wedding-day jitters and a father (Ed Asner) who helped organize and mobilize the protest.