User reviews

In the countryside of the United States of America, Irma Applewood (Jessica Lange) and her husband Roy Applewood (Tom Wilkinson) have been happily married for twenty-five years and they are model citizens in their community.

Roy brings Irma to meet Reverend Dale Muncie (Randall Arney), who is their pastor and friend, to tell that he is a woman trapped in a man's body and he will be submitted to a sex-change operation.

Now Roy has to face the deception of his wife and the intolerance of his colleagues, members of his church and his son Wayne (Joe Sikora). But Irma loves him and after the impact of the news, she understands and supports him with their teenage daughter Patty Ann (Hayden Panettiere) and Roy's boss Frank (Clancy Brown) that is their friend.

"Normal" is a great HBO movie with an ironic title about the life of a middle-aged couple married with children in a small town that is affected by the decision of the husband of changing his sex. The screenplay, direction and performances are top-notch, with Jessica Lange still very beautiful for a fifty-four year-old woman and awesome and courageous performance of Tom Wilkinson. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

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.

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

Normal is a funny, lovely, touching love story about a God-fearing rural small-town Midwestern couple--Roy and Irma Applewood--played by Tom Wilkinson and Jessica Lange. Shortly after their 25th anniversay, Roy goes public with the revelation that he has long felt that he is a woman trapped in a man's body, and with the Protestant determination to do something about it, no matter the consequences. Irma (Jessica Lange), an avid knitter and member of the church choir, naturally finds this a little disconcerting.

And so the fun begins. Roy gradually becomes a woman, and Irma, as well as the kids and the townspeople, all react.

Wilkinson is a curious transsexual, shattering virtually all of our myths, he evolves from an aging, non-descript man into a still-frumpy and hopelessly homely woman. While we may feel his pain, Anderson is much more interested in challenging our reaction to him than delving into his conflicted anguish. Nevertheless, she treats his change with a certain amount of whimsy. It is difficult not to warm to his smile when he dons his first earrings.

But it is Lange who is the star of the show. Demonstrating a surprising knack for dry comedy, she moves from frustration and resentment to acceptance and compassion. Surely drawing from her own Midwestern roots (some of the move could easily have been filmed in Cloquet, Minnesota!) Lange's character never wallows in self-pity, but searches for answers within, as she seeks to redefine her relationship to her husband.

Lange once again displays her extraordinary talent. (Truth be told, she was my first crush, and she is aging beautifully.) She portrays strength and vulnerability like few in her class. (Meryl Streep comes to mind.)

Hayden Panettiere is also quite good as the 13-year-old daughter.

Normal premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

In "Normal", an HBO feature film, a middleaged midwestern farming community family man (Wilkinson) reveals his plans to change gender. The film spends the entire run examining the reactions and adjustments of his family, coworkers, and community as he begins the process of transforming himself from man to woman up to but not including the required surgery. The result is an even, well managed, and delicate drama in which all the characters are exquisitely understanding and empathetic though the guy-to-gal protag does become a bit of a pariah as he moves from aftershave to perfume and there are periodic flare-ups as folks work to get their heads around the notion of a transgender in their midst. Though well executed, there's nothing particularly surprising in the film making it a lukewarm watch for all but those with an interest in the subject. (B)

A beautifully written film, graced with a stunning, brave and transcendent performance from Tom Wilkinson, Normal proves that a sensitive subject can be handled tastefully, humorously, respectfully and with breathtaking subtlety. At the heart of this labor of love is the subject of the tediously restrictive and ultimately damaging nature of gender labels, but this is never depicted in a heavy-handed way; writer Jane Anderson instead creates genuine characters, human and struggling and all-too painfully real.

I laughed, I cried (in all the right places too). I have to say I watched this solely because I'm a die-hard Jessica Lange fan. The subject matter sounded a LITTLE too out there to be done seriously. I was expecting a melodramatic movie-of-the-week type. Instead, I got "It's not TV, it's HBO." Ah, me of little faith. Of course, Tom Wilkonson (last seen in "In the Bedroom"), Jessica Lange, and HBO wouldn't steer me wrong. I was pleasantly surprised and chagrined at my doubt.

Plus, what a soundtrack!! I'd love it if HBO released it.

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.

Normal is a good movie that tastefully handles the difficult topic of people who go through sex changes. Given the taboo nature of the topic in film I was surprised to find that Normal does a good job of representing the real life problems and trials that people who go through sex changes experience. It also does a good job of showing how it affects the families too. In addition, Normal changes and shows a different type of love story. one rarely seen in films. The relationship between Roy and his wife is dealt with very well and the actors do an excellent job of representing their situations. The films soundtrack and cinematography are also very good. They seamlessly flow through the film however they add but never distracts from the plot or action taking place on screen. The acting is superb in the film and Wilkinson does an amazing job at capturing the feeling of the role. Overall I feel the film is very interesting and covers a difficult topic very well. It's not the type of movie I usually watch but I did enjoy it none the less. If you like more serious dramatic pieces I believe you would enjoy this film.

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.

This is kind of a movie, that could easily go "down", if the performance ( or a choice ) of main actors wouldn't be on such a high level. Jessica Lange is persuasive in every way and some scenes are so realistic, that it makes you think if she is just playing the role; Tom Wilkinson is constantly good, although the story sometimes seems a little bit unrealistic( but on the contrary people's respond is SOOO realistic!). The movie is really funny at the times, because dramatic and comedy elements fit together almost perfectly. I wrote almost perfectly, because if the movie would have that final spin, that final 10 minutes of "revelation" (that is needed to finalize the whole meaning of a story ), the movie would be a Cannes winner at least.

In every way the movie is great fun to watch, the play is brilliant, but the ending is somehow lacking of logical conclusion.

It was hard to believe that Roy would not move the few hours to a big city of Chicago at the beginning of this film. But as we continue to explore Roy's desire to follow his dream of being a transsexual after 25 years of marriage, we realize that sense of community outweighing the need to have a 'comfortable' life among more understanding people. My family came from a rural area (having homesteaded a few generation back), so I have been exposed to the mindset. But, my parents left for the economic potential (like most in rural America) of the city, thank goodness. Roy has invested a lifetime - having worked for 'the big tractor company' in middle Illinois. As the story develops, you start to appreciate Roy and Irma's commitment to the community, family and church. The viewpoints and reactions seem abbreviated typical of a movie, but the issue seems covered.

The sound track blended well, even though it rings more of Yo-Yo Ma's Appalachian Suite. But like most cello centered pieces, it does move in most of the right places. The photography shows the beauty of Illinois' flatland (yes it sounds like an oxymoron, but there are many beautiful scenes - in the movie and in reality).

There really is a Normal Il, but it is a college town, and has a car factory. But head 15 minutes in any direction, and you end up in Roy's world - especially if you head toward Peoria. Yes the cliché - it won't play in Peoria.

Normal is about Roy Applewood, who then becomes Ruth Applewood. Early on in the film Roy expresses to his wife Irma that he has always desired to live as a female. The emotional turmoil that this puts Irma through is very profound, and she struggles to accept her husband's change of lifestyle. She even goes as far as to nearly commit adultery against Roy/Ruth through her emotional turmoil. A particular issue in the film is their son's feelings of awkwardness regarding Roy's transformation. The family is weakened and strengthened by the following turn of events. The film depicts how the couple works though this issue together, and the strength of the bond of family and marriage.

One thing that should be noted is that the overall feeling of the film is very bland. All characters are very old (no offense to anyone,) dialogue becomes very heavy/boring, cinematography is flat, and the overall pace of the film is very slow. Since the story is unconventional, and the pace of the story is very slow, the film would have been aided by having more artistic film-making/experimental shots. But unfortunately since the film was produced by HBO films, we already know that we will not get anything artistic, but simply something which is trying to appeal to sexually repressed older/married people. HBO is a mid-life crisis exploitation channel, and this film demonstrates that clearly.

On a positive note, the film could have significant meaning particularly for someone who is married and has had any sort of transgender feelings.

Normal is drama love story that deals with a solid foundation of a married couple which became complicated after the husband (Tom Wilkinson) confess that he believes that he was a woman that is just trapped in a man's body. I personally think that this film is very realistic, it showed how this gender identity problem can occurred even to normal people, couple and families. As for this film, Roy and Irma portrayed a very loving and religious couple, who would have thought that this kind of problem can possible happen even to almost perfect couple after more than two decades of being together. In this film, the gender identity problem was the main conflict but as you get to watch the film up to the latter part, you will realize that it's not only about the gender problem, it's more on acceptance and love for each other. It showed that no matter the circumstances, Irma accepted Roy for who he is and who he wanted to be, she loved him and supported him all the way until Roy eventually felt the self- satisfaction he always wanted. Overall this film was an awesome piece, a very touching and inspiring story for all the couple out there who are going through this tough situation in life.

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.

Tom Wilkinson has been hiding a very big secret from the world. Husband and father, during a marriage counseling visit with his local pastor, he comes out with the fact that inside he feels he was born a woman. That comes as a big shock to his wife of 25 years, Jessica Lange, and their minister, Randall Arney.

This revelation is quite a blockbuster for everyone all around. These are blue collar people, not terribly sophisticated and not well read into the world of transgender. Still most try to cope as best they can.

Tom Wilkinson and Jessica Lange give a pair of beautifully matched performances in Normal. Wilkinson is a decent man, a good husband and father, a good provider, who can't keep up the pretense any more. He starts to transition into a woman, but stays at home to be the parent to young Hayden Panettiere who is just entering puberty. In fact with the estrogen treatments that Wilkinson is taking is almost like him going through puberty a second time with his own daughter.

Lange is the housewife and mother, she does not in fact work, but during the course of the film does take a job for her own income. Her reaction is to castigate Wilkinson, but also to blame herself and in fact her pastor says something like that to her. His only solution is to come up with some scripture from Ephesians that he says covers the situation. Something about emasculating her man.

Arney is an interesting character, transgender is not something taught at the seminary. He's trying to figure it out, but can only think and operate from a very narrow framework. Eventually Wilkinson and Lange leave the church, a most gut wrenching experience for both since they are sincere Christians.

The key scene in this film is during a family reunion at Thanksgiving when Wilkinson's father, who's suffering from the beginnings of Alzheimer's. There is a deep focus shot of Wilkinson in the foreground as dad, Richard Bull, is talking about how as a kid with five daughters he was worried about having an effeminate son when he caught him trying on his mother's clothes. Bull relates he beat his son to get the effeminacy out of him..

The shot then switches to a closeup of Lange and it's worth more than ten pages of dialog as she now knows this is not either some whim of her husband's nor anything that is her fault. Excellent camera work and acting, especially for a TV movie.

Although they are married and stay married, my guess is that at some point Wilkinson and Lange will part amicably. During the film in fact she does begin an affair with her husband's boss, Clancy Brown. My guess is that though she does love Wilkinson very much, Lange will miss the physical intimacy of marriage.

Someone did some good research into transgender issues. There is a brief scene with Wilkinson trying to talk in a higher register now that he's transitioning. One thing I've learned from transgender friends is that one's vocal cords are set for life in puberty when one is male. There are vocal techniques to talk lower, but they have to be learned and presumably Wilkinson will learn them. People who are born female will have their vocal cords thicken with the testosterone treatment

There are very few people that out and out hate the man for transitioning to female. He does get some hate graffiti on his truck and he does get into a fight with one of his co-workers. Mostly they just can't understand. Interesting that Hayden Panettiere reports no problems in school with peers over her dad. It's sometimes the case that the young are the most tolerant indeed.

Normal is a sensitive treatment of transgender issues with some fine performances and a good story with no real ending in sight for this family.

This quiet film about what may be "Normal" or not, for any of us,deals with marriage, a solid relationship that has lasted for 25 years, celebrated by Jessica Lange and Tom Wilkinson at the beginning of the film. As it turns out, Roy, (wilkinson, better than ever)confess,in tears, that he feels like a woman trapped in the wrong body. There is no sensationalism in this film, or debate about sex change operations, but rather about love, understanding, enduring each other shortcomings, companionship,and a dosage of subtle humor, facing what each day may bring.While one witnesses the transformation of Roy,it also observe the acceptance that Irma offers to his husband.

Initially, I wondered why Tom Wilkinson (whom I was not familiar with)got one of the starring roles in this movie opposite of Jessica Lange. Everyone knows super talented and beautiful Jessica but Tom Wilkinson? As I watched the movie it all made sense to me. Someone like Richard Gere or Harrison Ford would have constantly reminded us that we were watching a movie. Tom Wilkinson made us feel that we were watching a true story, with real life characters,develop in front of our eyes.

Tom Wilkinson and Jessica Lange give very memorable performances. But, the episodic nature in which the small-town intolerance unfolds, and the sacrosanct way the director shields the principals, together make this seem like a clinical documentary warning the transsexual what she will encounter. In many ways, it tried so hard not to be exploitative, it was too sanitized. Clancy Brown's character was internally inconsistent and too charicatured. I was engrossed enough to watch, but found too many scenes too tough to swallow. This is as well-meaning a slice-of-life film as you'd ever want to see, but it's simply too distant to engage.

"Normal" took me completely by surprise. Usually, a television only broadcasted movie means that this film wasn't even good enough to be shown in the theater. But that's not the case at all. "Normal" tells the story of a man who should have been born a woman. At first, the premise doesn't seem so different than "A Beautiful Boxer". However, what makes this story special is that the main character is a middle-aged man who has been married for 20 years, has two children, and a solid job where he is in line for a promotion. You can only imagine the reaction his wife, co-workers, and the community had when they found out the secret he's been hiding for decades. That's the premise, and as you follow along with everything that happens on screen, you'll be amazed at how fluidly and realistically it flows.

This is a perfect example of a "what if". What if this happened in your neighborhood? What if this was your uncle or father? What would you do and what would happen around you? Honestly, whatever happens, it probably wouldn't be too different than what happens in "Normal".

A lot of the credit goes to the actors here. Jessica Lange and Tom Wilkinson give an amazing performance as husband and wife. The kids do an exceptional job, as well. To back it up writer and director Jane Anderson plots out this movie painstakingly, lingering at just the right moments and pulling away at just the right times.

Overall, I highly recommend "Normal" to everyone. If you consider this a niche movie just because it handles transgender themes then your missing out because this is one of the most touching and pure love stories I have ever seen.