Consenting Adult

I will never forget first seeing this Made-for-TV movie when it aired in 1985. I was in High School, a closeted kid, who was dealing with my own homosexuality. This TV movie hit me like a ton of bricks, especially at a time in my life when I needed to see it the most and to be able to identify with the entire cast of characters.

Barry Tubb plays Jeff Lynd, the main character questioning his sexuality. Marlo Thomas plays Jeff Lynd's mother, who is the recipient of his first coming out by verbally being told that he is homosexual. Martin Sheen plays his father, who is devastated with the news of his sons news.

Based on the book by Laura Z. Hobson, this TV movie still holds up quite well today, especially since the subject of homosexuality in 1985 was basically non-existant, aside from the attachment of the AIDS epidemic.

It was never given a proper wide release on VHS or DVD like it should have. This is, by far, one of the best Made-for-TV movies made. You can occasionally find a rare VHS copy on eBay (released by King Bee Video). Your best bet to see this outstanding film is by watching it on YouTube, which was transferred & uploaded to the service. The last I checked, it was still online with 490k views since 2013.

Do yourself a favor and see this movie. I can't recommend it highly enough.