Review of Freeheld (2015) by Foxgrove — 03 Oct 2015

Freeheld suffers from a severe belief in its own self- importance. It is one thing to champion a worthy cause, but quite another to make it vital, interesting and entertaining. The screenplay is so intent on making points about gay issues that the over statement causes the film to lose its rhythm. Ultimately it lacks bite and just doesn’t feel cinematic.

The performances of Julianne Moore and Ellen Page as the gay couple fighting for their due rights, after Moore develops cancer, are not always convincing. Early scenes of the two becoming acquainted are uncomfortably embarrassing and director Peter Sollett adds to this by including a corny montage showing the two women laughing, dancing and kissing. This device is just a lazy and uninspired way of moving the story forward.

Julianne Moore, who is almost the Queen of the controversial or cutting edge subject matter, is seemingly becoming more conventional on the evidence here. After her admittedly superior turn in ‘Still Alice’ she is in grave danger of becoming associated with TV style disease of the week movies. Whilst she does have two or three scenes that are undeniably moving there is a cloying manipulative feel to the emotion evoked. In the latter stages she almost disappears from proceedings only to be wheeled on (literally) at climatic moments with head shaved looking like a large hairless baby. That this evokes laughter rather than sympathy is entirely due to the phony and simplistic writing on display. Ellen Page has a lot less to do and her performance is just vanilla.

As for Steve Carell playing a gay activist, this has to be one of the worst most mis-judged performances in a serious movie for years. The performance is both broad and irritating and, contrary to audience reaction where it screened in Toronto, there is absolutely nothing funny in his playing of the way over the top character. He may be having fun but we definitely aren’t. It’s just a peculiar and jarring characterisation.

With all these disappointing, ineffective and just plain bad performances on view it is pleasing to report that at least Josh Charles and Michael Shannon deliver. Shannon, in particular, although still having to be a mouthpiece for obvious plot points and (over)statements at least injects some warmth into the worthiness of it all.

In the final analysis it’s rather telling when one highlights the end titles song as being the best thing in the film.