This made for TV "Showtime" movie contains three short stories dealing with attitudes toward homosexuality in the fictional small town of Homer, Connecticut, over a period of almost half a century. It focuses on the efforts of gays to find "common ground" or respect from the heterosexual majority.
The first, "A Friend of Dorothy's" is set in the 1950s. Dorothy Nelson (Brittany Murphy) joins the US Navy where she meets the Friends of Dorothy, a code name for a group of gay and lesbian sailors. The name comes from Judy Garland's standing as a film icon to many gay and lesbian Americans who grew up before the Stonewall Riots of 1969, and is a reference to her starring role in "The Wizard of Oz". Dorothy meets Billy (Jason Priestley), who takes her to an interracial nightclub that tolerates gay people. However, the NCIS raids the nightclub, and Nelson is among those service members who receive a Section 8 discharge for "sexual perversion". Dorothy returns to Homer in 1954 after leaving the Navy. She wants to be a public school teacher, but her Section 8 discharge prevents her from getting a job. When her homosexuality becomes public knowledge, her mother kicks her out of the house, forcing her to take shelter at a family friend's grocery store. However, the townspeople disapprove of this arrangement, and Nelson becomes homeless. An independent-minded woman named Janet (Helen Shaver) at the local diner defends her against the verbal harassment and advises Nelson to go to the bohemian Greenwich Village, the only place where she might be free to be herself. Written by Paula Vogel.
Second is "M. Roberts" set in 1974, when a closeted gay high school French language teacher, Gil Roberts (Steven Weber), has to decide whether to jeopardize his career in order to help a troubled pupil who has been targeted by homophobic bullies. His student Thomas Tobias (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) is on the verge of coming out of the closet, whereas M. Roberts must keep his homosexuality a secret for fear of losing his job. His live-in boyfriend pressures him to set a good example for the students by illustrating the importance of tolerance and justice. Tobias visits a prostitute on the advice of his swimming coach, with the idea that she can help him "become a man", but instead she gives him some good advice about being himself. Tobias asks M. Roberts, "What's it feel like to make love to another man?" Roberts replies, "It's wonderful." Tobias says, "See, that's what I want to learn!" After Tobias is sexually assaulted by bullies and is discovered by Roberts, the teacher comes out to his students and lectures them on the evils of bias-motivated hatred. Tobias graduates from high school and leaves Homer to attend college in the big city. Written by Terrence McNally.
The last, "Andy & Amos", set in 2000, follows the preparations for a gay wedding commitment ceremony. The father Ira (Ed Asner) is planning to lead a protest march against the wedding, while his son Amos (James Le Gros) is nervous about getting married and going against the cultural stereotype of gay men. While protesters gather on the town commons, Amos' father has to choose between long-held prejudices and his love for his son. Thanks to Harvey Fierstein's script that combines sexual politics with humor and believable characters, this is the most successful part of "Common Ground". Ira's gradual realization that his son's monogamous, long-term gay relationship is more conventional than most heterosexual marriages is very well done, with a balance between message and drama that the other stories lack. The film ends on a positive note, with father and son reconciling and the wedding taking place as planned. Written by Harvey Fierstein.
Although the movie is still relevant, the first two segments are more like lectures than stories. Their impact is weakened by clumsy dialogue. Dorothy's mother actually says, "I have no daughter", and the characters are stereotypes. The film's message is an important one: the road to equality is built upon the struggles and sacrifices of past generations. Unfortunately, "Common Ground" is too uneven to deliver that message with the force it deserves. The movie received an R rating from the MPAA for violence, profanity and sexual themes. Donna Deitch directed.
