The Truth About Jane

I managed to see this Lifetime movie dealing with teenage homosexuality. I am a huge fan of movies dealing with homosexuality but I think this movie painted an unrealistic picture of what many gay teens have to deal with. Unlike Jane's parents, most parents of gay kids will not attend PFLAG meetings, will not have friends that they know are gay, and will not stand side by side with their kids as they deal with their children's attraction for people of the same sex. In a way I think it devalues how tortuous it is for a kid dealing with a person's coming out process in their life when almost the majority of coming out experiences are downright bad. Still, it's hard to dislike Stockard Channing, and I think she did well under the circumstances that the script presented, and I think a film like this must be seen in the context of how television is just beginning to make movies that address homosexuality. In that way, I give this film credit for at least addressing some of the difficulties of coming out.

I suspect that only homophobes will be the only ones not enjoying this movie, because they won't be viewing it with an open mind. I'm a single guy and decided to give this movie a chance.

I laughed out loud a few times and even almost cried once. One would think that this movie comes off like an after-school ABC special, but it doesn't patronize in any way. Instead, we learn the plight of a lonely young girl as she goes through the trials & tribulations of being a lesbian. I am amazed at how well the young actress who plays Jane does it so well at such a young age. The movie makes one realize that not all people are the same. Some people are different. But what happens when that different person is your daughter. This opened up my eyes.

Go rent this movie. You will not be disappointed.

I recently taped this movie off of Lifetime and as I was watching it, I was amazed at home closely Jane's home and personal experiences reminded me of my own coming out. As I was watching the video, the story was so powerful and personal that I had to turn it off at times to take a moment. The acting in the movie was great. Stockard Channing, as always, proved to be a stunning actress with a stellar performance. The young actress who played Jane, Ellen Muth, proved herself with a hard emotionally demanding dramatic performance. I hope to see more from her in the future. Kelly Rowan, who played the teacher was beautiful as always. Her performance was great, but I agree with with other users that her character was always appearing on the scene at "the right time" a little too much. Overall, I thought the movie was great. A must see for friends and family of all homosexuals. Everyone for that matter. A wonderful Coming Out movie!

A dear friend had a very similar experience to Jane and I got a chance to be her Mrs. Walcott, and I can say this movie was great until the end. I suppose that all Lifetime movies have to have good sappy endings, but this one was a tad bit unrealistic. I liked seeing Ellen Muth in something that wasn't Dead Like Me (I love that show!), and of course, Stockard Channing is always brilliant, even if I did want to shake and shake her through the whole experience.

It's a difficult thing for gay and lesbian kids of religious or "proper" parents to come out. We hear stories about it all the time, about parents disowning them and writing them out of the will and brothers and sisters who won't talk to them for the rest of their lives. It's so sad and so devastating. Hopefully that's the message this movie will bring to the table - love your children (sisters/brothers/whatever) no matter who they choose to love.

Did these guys have microphones in the wall when I came out to my parents? This movie was so similar to my own coming out experience that it was downright creepy in places. Some of Stockard Channing's lines were almost exactly what my own mother said verbatim!

So, in my book, this movie gets a 15 out of 10 for realism because, hey, I lived it. What more can I say. It's like they made a movie of my coming out experience and Ellen Muth played me.

About the movie itself, the acting was great; the plot was well laid out and strong and the characters were wonderfully believable. This movie is a 100% must see for teenage lesbians and their parents.