User reviews

Like many three-part anthology movies, "Common Ground" is a definite mixed bag. An examination of changing attitudes toward gay people in the past half-century or so in a small Connecticut town, it was written by three prominent gay playwrites--Paula Vogel, Terrence McNally and Harvey Fierstein--and performed by a large cast of familiar actors obviously attracted by the weight and "importance" of the project.

Of the three stories, Vogel's opening segment is by far the best. Set is 1954, it follows a young Naval woman home to Homer, Connecticut after she is given a dishonorable discharge due to "sexual deviancy." Not surprisingly, her return home is not a happy one as news of her "crime" spreads and the townspeople--including her mother--turn on her in a disgusting (but understandable considering the ignorance of the era) display of intolerance. Rising actress Brittany Murphy (so good in very different roles in "Girl, Interrupted," TV's "David and Lisa," and "Clueless") is wonderful as the woman, displaying a touching range of emotions from wonder and excitement when she first visits a gay bar, to sadness and shame as the same townspeople who have known her all her life and at first welcome her return make it clear she is no longer welcome in their midst. She is ably supported by Margot Kidder (looking like she's aged forty years in the past twenty--a far cry from Lois Lane) as the mother and Helen Shaver as a sympathetic restaurant owner.

The second segment is also strong but not as well developed. Written by McNally and set in 1974, it centers on the harassment and hostility directed by bullies toward a gay high school student just emerging from the closet. Jonathan Taylor Thomas is surprisingly strong in this segment as the gay student--a far cry from his previous performances which quite frankly have never impressed me much. Steven Weber costars as a closeted gay teacher who refuses to help the student out of fear his secret will be revealed until a shocking act of violence in the school shower forces him to deal with his own lack of honesty about his sexuality.

What keeps this segment from hitting the bullseye is some unlikely plot developments in the last five minutes--and the character of Weber's lover, who doesn't seem to have much idea of what Weber could lose if he did come out and is, in my opinion, a wholly self-centered and unsympathetic partner. Let's face it, it's unrealistic to think that a gay teacher could come out in 1974 and even think of keeping his job. But the segment redeems itself with the resolution of the student's story--his character is true and believable and Thomas acquits himself nicely in the role. He deserves a chance at more roles like this than in mindless pap like "I'll Be Home for Christmas."

The final segment, unfortunately, is dreadful. Written by Fierstein, it centers on an unbelievable gay wedding and the relationship between a father and gay son played by Ed Asner and James LeGros. Set in the present day, the entire segment is marred by Fierstein's flip, bitchy gay humor and minor characters that are unnecessary. Fierstein even writes himself a role as a stereotypical, princing gay florist; personally, I find him to be much more appealing when he is playing against type, but that's only part of the problem: every time a valid point is made in the segment he shoots himself in the foot by following it with a Neil Simonesque gay joke that points out the fact that the entire episode is not grounded in reality but in a playwrite's fantasy. Sadly, it is also unrealistic to think that even in 2000, a small town of 24,000 would be so welcome to a gay wedding that the town council would approve it being held at the community center in front of a war memorial which is the centerpiece of the town square. In my own state of California, which is considered liberal and trend-setting, an anti-gay marriage proposition (#22) on this year's primary ballot enjoys widespread support so I seriously doubt a town would be so supportive and that only a handful of churchgoers and veterans would protest. Maybe I'm wrong, but sadly I don't think so.

In all, however, "Common Ground" is a noble, well-intentioned and worthwhile effort. I give it *** out of **** or a 7 out of 10.

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.

I wasn't too sure what to expect of this Showtime original when I tuned into it. Listed many well known names and appeared promising. Three different story lines tied together with a constant location over several decades. Sounds OK.

That's just what it was , an OK film with an important message. I agreed with the message whole heatedly, just wish the film would have had a little stronger writing. Some parts were good, many too predictable. But I won't spoil any surprises, you'll have to watch and see if you agree.

This movie was great. A must see. It will touch the bottom of your heart, its well done, a great plot, with great stories. I loved this movie. I cried at the end like a little girl.

It's great to see a movie that was made thinking about the gay community, and that help us to fight homophobia.

This movie is a powerful portrayal of gay life and homophobia in small-town America, in this case Homer, Connecticut. Narrated through all three vignettes by Eric Stoltz's character, the character is 6 or so in "1954" when a young woman (Brittany Murphy) returns from the Navy with a Section 8 discharge for "deviant sexual behavior". In "1974", Stoltz is a fresh-from-Vietnam veteran tending grounds at the town war memorial at a time when the high school's star swimmer (Johnathan Taylor Thomas) wants to come out to his French teacher (Stephen Weber). In the last vignette, Stoltz's groundskeeper is greying, and some in the town (mostly veterans and church-goers) are protesting the marriage of two gay men, one of whom has wedding-day jitters and a father (Ed Asner) who helped organize and mobilize the protest.

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.

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.

Donna Deitch has done a great job of conveying highly pertinent real life aspects of gay and lesbian recent history and modern life.

With very tight scripts and damned fine acting from all players, it would be hard to go wrong, but Donna makes the whole film cohesive and attractive. I also really enjoy the stereo soundtrack.

I've seen Common Ground several times, enough to be inspired to import the NTSC tape - and the only problem with it is that the left and right channels are reversed (it's worth swapping your cables around temporarily).

Even though I know my emotional buttons are being pushed, I still enjoy every word and aspect of this film. It offers inspiration for younger and older gays and lesbians - and food for thought for our family and friends.

This is high quality, gimmick-free and utterly honest film-making.

A trilogy of gay/lesbian stories tracing societal attitudes towards homosexuals and the homosexual lifestyle from the 1950's to the present, this is the first "legacy" film for gays.

Superbly written, acted and produced, the three tales revolve around the themes of prejudice and acceptance, with the middle story of a young student's "coming out" as an impetus for his role model teacher's lifestyle disclosure, being the standout episode and should be seen by anyone wrestling with their sexual identity.

Bravo Paramount and Showtime for this outstanding and compassionate film.

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.

These 3 stories are each so brilliant and wonderful... each in its own way. They describe what it was like to be gay in a small town in Connecticut in the 1950's, the 1970's, and in the year 2000. We see the hopelessness of the lesbian of the 50's - forced to move to Greenwich Village, and the torment of the perfect student/athlete of the 70's, who is nearly killed by his classmates for being gay. The stories ring true, and I can attest to the validity of them, because many of the same things happened to me.

The film includes many grand performances by a large number of our best actors and actresses, just as some of our best writers put the stories together. And it ends on a somewhat upbeat note. This film is a treat which should be required viewing in all schools and churches.

Don't listen to the negative reviewers of this great film. They seem to be shocked by how DECENT the gay characters in this film are. Well, guess what? Most of us ARE exactly like that. Yes, there is a need for films showing the full spectrum of gay people, and there ARE. Look for them. But the Brittany Murphy character in this film's 50's segment lived a story almost identical to that of my aunt. I myself had an experience VERY similar to that of Jonathan Taylor-Thomas in the 70's story. And I KNOW people living the 3rd segment today. So don't tell me these stories are "unreal." They are DEAD ON real. And my thanks to all three playrights for giving them to us.

As I heard, what´s the theme of "Common Ground", I thought first about other attempts like "In & Out", "Jeffrey" (also with Steven Weber) or "The Birdcage". Only another comedy ? No, this movie is completely different!

It shows the problems of this group of outsiders in a very strong and serious way. Through the different decades, "Common Ground" takes the time for different persons and times and tries to give an complete answer and evaluation. But this separation has in my opinion not only good sites. You can see the development in the treatment of homosexuality. But the time (around 30 minutes) is to short for the different episodes. So, it does not reach the ground of the problem. Many aspects are also named twice, especially in the first two episodes. And the message in episode three (All is better now. )is not believable for me and too trivial.

Despite of this, for me it is an must-see movie with great performances of the actors (especially Jonathan Taylor Thomas as a swimmer in part 2 !), an intelligent dramaturgy and an unconventional ending.

When I stumbled across COMMON GROUND on a Youtube search I looked the cast on IMDB and seeing all the famous names, I knew I had to see it. And to my surprise, I ended up nearly loving it.

The film is parted into three different stories dealing with homosexuality: the first is about young Dorothy Nelson (Brittany Murphy) that in the 1950s joins the United States Navy and meets a section for homosexual servicemembers, but when a nightclub where she went is raided she is discharged for sexual perversion and back in Homer she tries to restart her life as a public school teacher but she can't because of the discharge and when her homosexuality becomes known to all her mother expels her from the house and Nelson becomes homeless until another woman recommends her to go to the Bohemian Greenwich Village for freeing herself.

The second story is set in the 1970s where Mr Roberts, a high school French teacher has one of his students, Toby, that wants to come out and hopes that the teacher should be his confidant. Mr Roberts has to keep his homosexuality a secret for fear of losing his job. Toby is later assaulted by bullies and Roberts has to come out to his students and lectures them on the evils of bias-motivated hatred. Toby graduates from high school and leaves Homer to attend college in the big city.

The third and final story is set in 2000 when two men have to get married and Ira (Ed Asner), the father of one of the two men, wants to lead a protest against this but the son is nervous for getting married and doing something unusual for homosexuals at the time. In the end, father and son reconcile and the marriage takes place.

The stories were nice and the acting was great by all involved. And although there are sad moments (not surprising considering the subject) there are lots of optimistic moments as well, and gives a nice view about same-sex relationships. Not to be missed if you stumble upon it on Youtube.

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.

This is a movie that should be brought back and restored to 1080p. Each individual story is the essence of what life was for women and men coming out of the closet in those days. I would like for Paramount Studios to please restore and remaster this movie. It should be given a chance for newer generations to see.

The first time I watched Common Ground I actually sobbed. Unless a person is Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual, I really think it's very hard for heterosexuals to understand what many of us have gone through, or are currently going through!

This brilliant story links together three generations of gay and lesbian struggles in a mythical rural town in Connecticut. I came of age sexually in the second story, which takes place in the 1970's. I can identify only too well what the young gay man experienced at the hands of his fellow bigoted classmates. And it ain't pretty! But the courage and fortitude he showed to everyone made me feel proud - and relieved - because I know there are people actually like him in the real world!

While Common Ground ends on a positive note and Connecticut actually is one of the first states to legalize gay marriage, I wouldn't want to be holding a wedding (or similar) ceremony in a place like rural Oklahoma or in 2/3 of the United States, for that matter! The struggles of previous generations (the first two stories in the film) are still common in way too many places, even if substantial progress has been made in the West Coast, Mid-Atlantic, New England and Iowa (who would have guessed a gay person would have more rights in the heartland than in California? Good For You Iowa!) Unfortunately, the struggle for fairness and common sense needs to continue!

Few area of a person's life are more personal and important than one's own sexuality! I wonder how bigoted heterosexuals would feels if they woke up one morning on another planet and they were made to feel something was wrong with them for being straight instead of, let's say, bisexual! What, you don't engage in romantic relationships with BOTH genders! How strange! How odd! How could you possibly not be sexually attracted to both genders? What's wrong with you? This is a lovely fantasy I wish I could have every bigot experience!

I can only hope that in 2009 Common Ground is released on DVD and the extremely ridiculous "R" rating is downgraded to PG-13. To realize that a teenager struggling with his or her sexuality could not privately order Common Ground on their own is simply OUTRAGEOUS! The "R" rating and the fact that this film has not migrated to DVD speaks volumes about our society's utter stupidity when it comes to treating Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual people fairly.

See also: Out of the Past: The Struggle for Gay and Lesbian Rights in America

More than just 3 gay vignettes based in a small, patriotic New England town, Common Ground is a look at the maturing of America. Our country didn't start out instantly perfect; it's a struggle that's still ongoing. Common Ground starts its tale in the middle of the last century, where appearances are everything and even the hint of an impropriety is enough to destroy a person. This fact is poignantly made when the heroine of the first story is asked if she is a Lesbian, and she answers honestly that she doesn't know. Story two takes place in the seventies, a time when doubt and fear were very high in our society. JTT's character is attacked moreso because he is different, something that cannot be tolerated in an era of unrest, riots, and legally-sanctioned deceit. Finally, a gay marriage is to occur in the last story, but one of the gay partners wants to back out at the last moment. While the talk between that gay partner and his father (played superbly by Ed Asner) touches on many social themes and issues, it highlights the fact that individuals have more in common with others than differences.

Ironically, there's a major theme in the first two stories that, while present in the last one, is shown to be dying out. It's strange that in a country ostensibly founded on Christian principles, one of the main principles is not only to be ignored, but denied: Tell The Truth. Being gay (or perceived as such) is less than a problem than being honest about it. In stories one and two the message is given that probably any problems at all would have existed if the main characters had exerted great effort at living the life of a lie, denying the truth or any possibility of it. Even in story three we see that if the truth had only been kept hidden, problems might have been avoided. Would life have been easier? Obviously not. But these stories show that honesty and respect are less important than deceit.

(note: the following paragraph discusses the movie's ending) That this movie centers around a war memorial is especially important to me. Through the centuries, countless Americans have deemed it necessary to fight (and die) to protect freedom. They struggled to preserve a freedom that we are still struggling to ensure to all Americans. I was glad that the movie didn't insult those efforts with a "life is perfect now and will be happily ever after" ending. Yes, the ending was pleasant, but it was also honest.

I only saw part of this movie, but I loved it. I have many ties with Jonathan Taylor Thomas (Toby) in that movie -- It, I felt was well acted, and NO I don't like the movie because it has him in it :) But I only wish I could've seen the whole thing and I don't have cable. You will like this movie if you are open minded, or dealing with sexuality in itself - for me this movie provided a sense of homage, to know that I'm not alone, even though I know I"m not but this is a step for diverse sexualities and its acceptance. Thank god it has finally made its way to film, I only wish Hollywood started it sooner.

Common Ground is three stories which are set in one town, Homer. It's about the lives of homosexuals in this town from 1954 to presnt day. I must admit, I had my doubts about this picture. Only because it sounded very much like If These Walls Could Talk, only having a theme of homosexuality as opposed to abortion. But then it turned out to be something more than that. It portrayed the history of homosexual very accuratly. From the conservative 1950's, to the libral yet very constricting 70's, and to the open 2000's. All actors did a very good job, and I was shocked and some of the big names in the movie. If you are at all interested in gay rights, or at least want a nice little history lesson, see this movie. You'll be entertained and informed.