Normal

When I read the synopsis for this movie I was a bit 50/50 whether to watch it or not. Thank God I chose to do so. It is a journey of discovery, of pain, of sorrow, of anger, of resentment, of bitterness which then turns to a journey of acceptance, love, commitment, and joy. I know there is a lot of talk in the USA today about homosexuality, etc and such issues, but all I ask of anyone who has a soul is to give this movie a chance with an open heart and mind. This movie asks the hard questions and there are no easy answers. What you have is a group of actors plying their trade at the highest level. I commend this movie very highly to anyone with an open mind. I give this movie (for honesty) 9/10. A must see.

Excellent performances by Jessica Lange and Tom Wilkinson. The screenplay affirms the truth of the adage..."the things we do for love". And it distinguishes love and passion, delineating how each strengthens the other.

The writer/director eschews cliches, demonstrating how small events can sometimes tell a story more powerfully than moments of high drama,

I enjoyed it more on second viewing than first.

There are things going on on the surface in this film that will be foreign, and even repellant to a lot of people. But hopefully those who are thoughtful will be able to look beneath that to find a message that we can all hopefully relate to..the idea of loving the soul of a person regardless of their appearance and loving someone selfishly and completely. I could not relate to Tom W's characters gender identity issue nor could I put myself in jessica lange's character's position of dealing with all that. But I was moved by how much these people truly loved each other. The actors did a great job handling a subject that could have easily slipped into the farcical or maudlin. Another good hbo movie product

This is a disturbing movie, one not easy to watch. Much more than the formula driven "dysfunction of the month" movie, this tackles a very real medical and sexual problem. It does so candidly and honestly, even using humour in several scenes. Yet it takes neither cheap nor trivial shots and never fails to show deep respect for the problem and for the characters affected by it. It must have been a hard sell to the producers, a movie delving into (and under) a subject that is little understood, which has small public sympathy and which is deeply disturbing to both men and women viewers. Yet it's encouraging that all the comments I read here on IMdb were similar to mine. There was nothing negative. I gave it an 8 rather than a 10 only because Jessica Lange may have been just too much of a saint. Yet who knows what any of us would do if confronted with such a situation in our own marriages. It sparked a good discussion between my wife and I. Any movie that gets you thinking and talking is a good movie.

Writing, acting, and direction were outstanding. I chuckled, laughed, brimmed with tears, during, and thought differently after this film. The character interaction captured so well the kinds of behavior one might see (but not necessarily expect) under such highly unusual circumstances. Midwest setting underscored the challenge and the humanity. HBO should release this to theaters next.