Customer Reviews

Common Ground [VHS]

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Unforunately, this video is still very relavent today. Contrary to Mr. Diamond's comments - LGBTQ youth are still beaten and murdered today and are four times more likely than their straight peers to commit suicide (Mass. Youth Behavior 2000). I was harassed severely in high school and had to transfer due to physical threats. To say that youth today do not know what it was like is just plain wrong. As an active member of several queer youth organizations trust me, we know and we are grateful. But we have our own issues that maybe you are ignoring Mr. Diamond.

This movie is moving, and hey, JTT IS HOT!

Mark Snyder
20 yrs old.

Come on folks VHS is DEAD.

DVD please

Common Ground is a compilation of 3 vignettes in a small town in Connecticut that represents small town U.S.A. The Showtime movie accurately depicts this and more. We see how homosexuality is viewed in 1954, 1970 and 2000. We see people who are forced to leave their home because they are being shunned and refused a job because of their gayness. My favorite story was the second one which starred Steven Weber and Jonathan Taylor-Thomas. I could identify with both characters because I too swam in high school and now I am a teacher. The fear that is displayed by Weber as a closeted teacher is very realistic and the treatment of the young gayTaylor-Thomas character was also true to the time period if not true today.

I highly recommend this film to anyone who is confused about their sexuality, have friends who are confused or family members who do not accept your sexuality. We are all truly living on common ground.

this movie tries to examine the attitudes toward gay people in the past half-century in a small us-town, and has nearly all the ingredients needed to be counted a good movie.

in the first of three stories ("a friend of dorothy's") a young homosexual naval women (brittany murphy) comes home to homer, conneticut, in 1954 with a dishonorable discharge due to "sexual deviancy". as a matter of time it comes clear that the townspeople are not happy about her return as the news of her "crime" spread very soon and even her mother (margot kidder) turns on her in disgusting. only a sympathetic restaurant owner (helen shaver) gives her hope and make her escape from homer possible.

the secound segment ("m. roberts") featuring former sitcom stars steven weber and jonathan taylor thomas concentrates on the harassment and hostility toward a gay high-school student (thomas) in 1974's homer and how his french-teacher (weber), who tries to keep his own homosexuality a secret, reacts on the torture against one of his best students. a violent attack in the school shower forces his comeing out and shows how he finally deals with his homosexuality (in pubilc).

the final segment ("andy & amos"), placed in todays homer, then centers on the realationship between a father (ed asner) and his gay son (james legros), who plans to marry his lover at the community center. the whole segment is not very well written and harvey fierstein, the writer, too often serves stereotype and flat characters. the story has not the depth as the first two stories and is - in complete contrast to them - not worth watching.

the only reason i rated this video only 4 instead of 5 stars is the third part and - all in all - i can recommend this movie to nearly everyone.

True, there are problems with this movie, but let's face it, there are not a lot of positive attempts at this kind of story telling, where the gays may struggle but come out on top. Wong Fo might be one example, and certainly the excellent, "Queer As Folk," as well as a few others.

The cast is excellent and the performances sincere. I enjoyed this move very much and finished watching it with tears in my eyes. This movie is for anyone who has ever been persecuted for any unjust reason, and it's underlying message of the majority of society wanting to destroy anyone who does not conform to the "norm", is all too true, and can never be told enough.

I doubt that it will change the minds of the many homofobs of the world, and in fact, I am sure they would not even want to watch it. Despite the sterotypes it gives its message well, and we need more of the same. How about prime time?

I felt this film was very well made and acted. The stories are powerful and informitive. I would buy it again if I didn't already own it. A fantastic look at the change of acceptance over about 40 years in one small town. Lots of exceptional actors doing exceptional acting. This will entertain and can be used as a learning tool that is tactful and otherwise done in very good taste.

Overall I must say that I was impressed with Common Ground. The first story dealt with a young lady who was dishonerable discharged from the Navy after discovering lesbianism. Brittany Murphy(Girl, Interrupted) did a great job in this 'act' and I was thouroughly impressed by the story. The second story I thought was the strongest out of all the 3. A senior in High School(Jonathan Taylor Thomas) is constantly ridiculed and beaten up by his fellow school mates for being a homosexual. He confides his secret to his french teacher(Steven Weber) who refused to come clean about his own sexuality on fear of loosing his chance at becoming the schools principal. Great acting, strong characterization, especially on Jonathan Taylor Thomas' part. The third story, which I thought was the weakest of the three, deals with a father and son having a heart to heart talk about the sons marriage to another man. There wasn't enough emotion honestly for you to really care. Also they used way too many references to being gay(especially the female couple who are helping with the wedding. 'Thats what lesbians do best' and the like). If this story was a little stronger I would've given it 5 stars. Regardless its a great buy, highly recommended!

This could very well be among the greatest movies I've ever seen. It gets kind of corny at times, but corniness is good when dealing with these themes. If you liked Angela's Ashes, you'll LOVE Common Ground. It made me cry, not because I could indetify (I'm straight), but my brother is gay and it really helped me see some things differently. Watch it, you won't regret it.

One town, three stories -- each taking place in a different era. The interweaving thread is not really about being gay or lesbian, it's about the "common ground" that all human beings share. This is a tremendous movie that deserves all the praise it receives. See this film.

As an openly gay man who was routinely beaten in high school, served for eight years in the Air Force and has enjoyed a wonderful committed relationship for sixteen years - this movie rang totally true.

The kids today have no comprehension of what we suffered and how those who came before us suffered. They can't even being to comprehend that being gay once meant prison, commitment to mental institutions, being outcast, unemployable, and being open to blackmail. Our lives were on the fringe and police abuse and exploitation were the suffrance.

In the 1950's it was routine to have to pay off police - who could arrest you at any time. Vice cops routinely patrolled streets and areas where gays frequented, looking to make an arrest - on the basis of a glance held too long. Usually, the arrests meant severe beatings. The arrests usually mean the loss of a job, losing your apartment and losing your family.

This film does a good job of laying out how underground we had to be in order to survive - being a Friend of Dorothy's meant a hell of alot more, just to survive. It was in many respects our underground railroad.

Our freedoms didn't come because the hostile elements in society gave up. We have them today because every generation made the world a little bit more tolerant. Every generation pushed a little bit harder. Every generation suffered so we would have it better.

For our straight friends, this is a testament to their willingness to help us change the world and to embrace civil rights for all. Above all else, this film is a valentine and a caution to all of us that our current civil rights can be upended and we can return to the world of the 1950's.