Consenting Adult

Movie-of-the-week about a gay young man who comes out to his parents. Martin Sheen plays the father--frustrated, embarrassed and angry--who turns his son away, but mom Marlo Thomas reaches out to her boy with love and understanding. TV not tackling taboo territory, but taking baby steps (still); it's about as sexually frank as the glossy coming-out opus "Making Love" from 1982 (and with just a whiff of a mention of "that disease" that dare not speak its name). Writer John McGreevey, adapting Laura Z. Hobson's novel, keeps shifting the narrative back to the parents--ostensibly because Sheen and Thomas are the movie's stars. Naturally, the straight-laced couple would be shocked and confused by their son's revelation (that's only natural), but just whose story is this?

Sometimes We Think That TV does not deliver anything better than The Real Cinema Theater Plays but with this film The director showed a good story, well done , good acting and most of all very well structured with many topics that were ahead to that edge in the middle of the 1980's Decade! It was about Love, Forgiving, Redemption, and Accepting! I enjoyed this movie, specially for focusing in discuss if Homosexuality was an illness or just a natural expression of sexual orientation! Good for the Director!

I saw this movie back in 1985 when it premiered on television. Marlo Thomas plays Tess Lynd a mother whose son announces that he is gay. Tess' husband is not accepting of the son and a battle ensues. Tess is torn between the love of her son and her husband. Marlo Thomas gives a great performance!! I was a bit shocked though, parts of this film are pretty risque for the time and television! I can remember vividly how the viewer almost was part of the sexual activity the son was having, but it was done tastefully. I recommend this film!

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.

A young man (Barry Tubb) comes out to his parents. The father (Martin Sheen) immediately rejects him, while his mother (Marlo Thomas) tries to accept him and get her husband to also.

Way ahead of its time (for TV). The man is allowed to have a handsome young lover and even has sex (not shown) without being punished! The acting is all good and the subject matter is handled extremely well.

The only bad part was how the parents (over)reacted. They acted like he had committed murder or something! Thomas' overreaction actually had me smirking a little. Also it's quite interesting to see Sheen playing a homophobe--in real life he's very accepting of gays. In fact he played one in an early 1970s TV movie ("That Certain Summer")which I've never seen.

Anyways this is a little dated (AIDS isn't mentioned) but still very worthwhile...especially for gay kids planning to come out.

Also Tubb is REALLY cute!!!!!