Late Bloomers

Decently-written and sweetly acted, this is a realistic story of two ordinary women (I thought both of them were beautiful!) who fall in love. Carly Lumpkin, pleasingly plump and ignored by her husband is the high school secretary at Eleanor Roosevelt high school. Dinah Groshardt doubles as the high school's geometry teacher and basketball coach; she keeps turtles, lives alone, and claims to have never been in love. Their love affair eventually causes a stir at the school. There are many funny moments, along with a proper dose of drama.

I'm 22 years old, but I would much rather watch this than the current fare which usually centers around teenage or adolescent-acting young people. I'll watch it, but it won't touch my heart nearly as much as Late Bloomers. This story is about real love and shows even people your parent's age can be passionate and affectionate. Especially enjoyed the Lulu song "Oh me, Oh my" in this movie.

My only real complaint is the way they portrayed teenage Val (she really annoyed me), but then this story does not focus on her completely, so it's easy to ignore. What this movie lacks in perfect writing, it makes up for in heart and a compelling story (and good acting, at least by the two leads). One of my favorite movies.

I came upon this movie by accident while channel surfing one morning. At first, I thought it was an "Afterschool Special," being repeated, but the midnight basketball session dispelled that idea. I'm glad to see this film was shown during the day, when people can actually see it, rather than played in the middle of the night, when the world is sleeping. It's hard to play this story out without making some aspect of it melodramatic: but I give the cast an "A+" for making me care how it all would end. (Hey: Didn't I see some of the 'Wishbone' players in this one?)

I really enjoyed this movie, even though it is now a bit dated in terms of social acceptances of homosexuality. The acting was quite good, despite there being no a-listers in the cast (obviously this is not required for a good movie). I found the writing good and the cinematography was okay. The few collage scenes were a bit too much, like looking through a kaleidoscope.

The topic of homosexuality was handled with sensitivity, compassion, and decency.

Overall, i really enjoyed this movie and would recommend it to anyone who asks.

Connie Nelson (not to be confused with Connie Nielsen; in fact she looks like David Warner) is a female basketball coach who falls in love with a female school secretary, creating an uproar at the high school. Hennigan is touching as the overweight secretary in a sexless marriage whose life is renewed when she meets Nelson. Carter is good as Hennigan's perplexed husband, who is also a teacher at the school. Although it feels at times like an after-school TV special, it is saved by the interesting characters and pretty good acting by the large cast. It is competently written and directed by the Dyer sisters, who have not done anything since.

A fairly early entry in the push for gay acceptance. It's always easier to use a lesbian story for this, as picturing male homosexuality is widely considered unappealing and offensive. Having said that, this movie was sweet and non-militant. Connie Nelson did a fine acting job, but she looks like a stereotypical middle-aged lesbian. Dee Hennigan was the opposite, playing a harried suburban mom. I thought she was lovely, even though she didn't have a typical Hollywood look. being a bit older and heavier than that. That's an observation, not a criticism. I ended up really liking this film.