Young and shy college sophomore Jeff Lynd (Barry Tubb) discovers his attraction to men. After struggling with himself he comes out to his parents with details of his sexual preference. His mother Tess (Marlo Thomas) is shocked beyond belief but eventually listens to her son and tries to understand his feelings. She is convinced that Jeff can be "cured" through psychiatry. However his proud father Ken (Martin Sheen) is unable to accept his son for what he is--as much as he wants to. Recovering from a near-fatal stroke, he feels devastated and betrayed. Only Jeff's married sister Margie (Talia Balsam) approaches the situation with understanding. Ken dies, leaving behind a mother, her son, and his friend to work out the things Jeff and his Dad never had the courage to talk about.
This pre-AIDS TV drama about a gay young man who comes out to his parents is a restrained exploration of the controversial subject. It's a "message" movie filmed on location in Vancouver with too little focus on the gay son. Sheen and Thomas are the stars, and the mother is portrayed as the courageous one, noble enough to offer her hand in friendship, and reassuring when she calls at the end with happiness in her voice. "Consenting Adult" is adapted from the 1975 novel by Laura Z. Hobson, based on her experience with her son, and was first telecast on February 4, 1985. Laurence Rosenthal composed the music, John McGreevey wrote the script based on Hobson's novel, and Gilbert Cates directed.
