Review: Freeheld

Score:C-

Director:Peter Sollett

Cast:Julianne Moore, Ellen Page, Michael Shannon, Steve Carell

Running Time:96.00

Rated:PG-13

Freeheld could have been one of the best movies of the year.  A dynamic political drama that proved change was coming with one of the most complete casts we've seen in years.  It nearly screams Oscar from its plot line alone.  But somehow director Peter Sollett failed to find the story's heartbeat, wasting away an immense amount of talent and offering up a phoned in effort that misses the mark in nearly every capacity.

Centered around the love story between New Jersey police detective Laurel Hester and her domestic partner Stacie Andree, Freeheld was set to showcase the couple's fight to overturn a law that required pensions to only go to heterosexual spouses.  But somehow, the film segwayed from a intense political battle into one of medicine as Hester finds herself fighting an uphill battle against stage four cancer.

Working hard to generate tears, Sollett works the system, utilizing heartfelt sentiment to create something that is so cliché and unapologetically glamorized that you can't help but feel as if you are being sold something.  The dialogue is forced, the settings overly sentimental.  You find yourself constantly staring at your watch, unable to fully immerse yourself into the story as none of the characters appear to offer up much more than a political agenda.

The film begins with Hester, a highly decorated detective who navigates the dangers of the job in an effort to bring a sense of safety to those who reside in her hometown of Ocean County, New Jersey.   The immediate call to her service is an in-you- face approach that could have worked; however, before we know it the focus of the film switches as both her and Page's Andree are looking at buying a house.  The oversimplification of their courtship (we see just a few dates) prevents us from digging deep into either character, leaving us with numerous questions as they venture into the local courthouse to apply for a domestic partnership license.  While I understand the need for saving time, skipping over their growing admiration for each other doesn't do much to connect the audience with the characters, making Hester's cancer diagnosis similar to one that you'd read in the newspaper on Sunday after church.  It has no real meaning as you aren't connected or curious as to either women's fate.

Granted, for what it's worth, both Moore and Page do a decent job with their characters, falling victim to terrible dialogue and hardly any depth.  But the mountain the pair face proves too much.  Instead of a groundbreaking tribute to a couple who fought for equality and won, audiences are forced to sit back and witness a film that casually exploits a course of action, forcing those who were forcing change to sit in near silence and serve as puppets to a bigger agenda.

We never get a strong fight; we never get much confrontation or a full understanding of the monumental climb Hester and Andree faced.  Instead Sollett relies heavily on the audiences' perception of the subject matter, their understanding of the fight and their compassion towards those who become victims of such laws.  There is no spark.  There is no longing for change.  And sadly, even with the often hilarious Steve Carell involved, there is no pulse.  Moore deserves a lot of credit for her portrayal, but it simply isn't enough.  This film was meant to be pure awards bait"¦and it goes to show you that even when all the parts are there, an effort has to be made to put them together correctly.  For Freeheld, things just didn't pan out.  And other than the highly energetic viewers who walk into the theater already loving the film and everything it stands for, this one is going to disappoint a lot of people.

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About Stephen Davis

Stephen Davis
I owe this hobby/career to the one and only Stephanie Peterman who, while interning at Fox, told me that I had too many opinions and irrelevant information to keep it all bottled up inside. I survived my first rated R film, Alive, at the ripe age of 8, it took me months to grasp the fact that Julia Roberts actually died at the end of Steel Magnolias, and I might be the only person alive who actually enjoyed Sorority Row…for its comedic value of course. While my friends can drink you under the table, I can outwatch you when it comes iconic, yet horrid 80s films like Adventures in Babysitting and Troop Beverly Hills. I have no shame when it comes to what I like, and if you have a problem with that, then we’ll settle it on the racquetball court. I see too many movies to actually win any film trivia contest, so don’t waste your first pick on me. My friends rent movies from my bookcase shelves, and one day I do plan to start charging. I long to live in LA, where my movie obsession will actually help me fit in, but for now I am content with my home in Austin. I prefer indies to blockbusters, Longhorns to Sooners and Halloween to Friday the 13th. I miss the classics, as well as John Ritter, and I hope to one day sit down and interview the amazing Kate Winslet.

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