Making Love

I believe that given this film was made in 1982, in the early stages of the AIDS epidemic, it IS groundbreaking.

For me, it was the film that helped a struggling 10 grader come to terms with his sexuality. Therefore, I recommend this film to anyone who wants to know what it is like to admit to yourself that you are in denial and being self-deceiving. It follows a man's journey through self-discovery and the unfortunate damage that this type of discovery can bring to a family, friends, and other loved ones, when the reality is finally admitted. Anyone who cannot see this for what it is may need to do some self-discovery work of his or her own to ascertain what is living just below the surface that is presented to the public.

Although the plot and story are a bit simplistic by today's standards, in its day it was revolutionary: a former TV star (Kate Jackson), up-and-coming hunkies star (Harry Hamlin), and the gorgeous guy next door type (Michael Ontkean). Even the sex scene between the men was too much for many in that time.

Al in all, I would say that it is not as bad as many have commented and it is not a tour-de-force of acting either. Just good, old-fashioned melodrama, American-style.

I love how people so eagerly show their prejudice by calling movies like this "gay propaganda." If anything, these folks do us a favor by exposing themselves so that those of us with brains in our heads can steer clear of them.

If the purpose of this movie was to send a message, then that message was obviously this: Trust what's in your heart, and be true to yourself and the ones you love.

Would love to see this little gem released onto DVD, maybe with some commentary. Playing a gay role in a motion picture required much more bravery from an actor in 1982 than it does today. It would be interesting to hear Michael Ontkean and Harry Hamlin give their perspective on this.

I saw this when it first came out. I was 20. I had never seen a film about gay men before - except Boys in the Band - on late nite TV. That film scared me. This one made me feel good and positive about myself. It is warm and sad and happy and realistic. (well if we were all successful LA tyes, anyway) Credit goes to Ontkean and Hamlin for taking on these roles at the time. Jackson is terrific. She has a scene in the phone with her estranged father that makes you realize why she was first choice for Joanna Kramer in Kramer vs Kramer. Wish this would come out on dvd.

1982 was my coming out year.I was 19...I had just embarked on my first gay relationship and it was a voyage of discovery living in London at that time. I used to frequent the Black Cap in Camden town..still a gay pub..and I remember it was abuzz with anticipation when this film came out. EVERYBODY talked about going to see it. Things are more mainstream and things just don't have that same 'buzz' any more. But 'Making Love' was OUR Brokeback mountain. The 80's were a great era in many ways..they were just the beginning and I am sure 'Making Love' went a long way to making gay people feel good about themselves. I did remember feeling sorry for Kate Jackson's character though..I think I even cried for her. But was pleased also for the guys to be so open. The film was an underrated one and deserved more recognition.

Although the film "Making Love"(1982) was done over 20 years ago, I felt than and still feel today that it delivers one of the best and strongest messages about gays and lesbians in our society; a message that unfortunately more people need to 'get', even today. The film explores not only the idea of an individual coming to grips with his true sexuality, but provides the viewer with reasons why. It does an excellent job of depicting not only Zack's 'coming out', but the emotional stages both he and Claire go through before,during and afterwards.

There were a few weak mini-scenes, segue ways into bigger more important scenes that would of, or rather could of been done better; but when one sees this film today, one must take into account that this was still a rather taboo subject and not many people, including gays and lesbians were talking about. I strongly suggest seeing this film on video; it has an excellent message, not only about 'homosexual love', but about 'loving another person',period!