Liberty Sex

Although I have seen many excellent "gay" movies, this movie tops them all. Along with Showtime's TV series "Queer as Folk", this movie accurately portrays the struggles and triumphs in the lives of most homosexuals. Luckily, I was able to purchase a copy on eBay (this movie is not available on DVD or VHS, except to members of the Academy Awards Nomination Committee), and I have shown it to all of my friends and family members. All agree that this movie should almost be mandatory viewing. I highly encourage any and everyone to take the time to watch this film. If you are a homosexual, then this film will make you feel great about who you are and your history. If you are not, then this film will certainly open your eyes as to what it means to be a gay or lesbian man or woman in the world today.

This film tells the story of the residents of a small town changing attitudes towards homosexuals through the decades.

"Common Ground" is an amalgamation of three stories in different decades. Out of the three stories, united by the sacred War Memorial in the centre of the town, the first story is the best. A woman who is unsure of her sexuality, and is rejected cruelly by her town and even by her mother. It deeply touches the heart strings and is very engaging. second story tells the story of a seventeen years old boy who is bullied because he is gay. It is touching because the characters in the story shows courage and remains true to themselves. The third story, however, is a huge mess. The plot is almost ridiculous as it cannot seem to decide whether it is pro gay or anti gay. The father suddenly switches stance with no apparent reason, making the whole segment a huge joke.

I am lucky enough to own a VCD of this film. I think I will keep it.

The quality of cable-made TV-movies continues to improve as this film proves.

This is an excellent anthology of three short stories revolving around the "common ground" of a flagpole in the center of a fictional all-American town in Connecticut. Through the years, attitudes towards homosexuals evolve as the stories play out. The common character to all three stories, played by Eric Stolz, narrates as he witnesses over the period of his lifetime the struggle between homophobia and tolerance. The fact that he raises and lowers the American flag each day probably symbolizes that he is the keeper of the American Dream -- equality of all.

An excellent cast and excellent writing make the film not only entertaining and enlightening but also touching.

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.

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.