Laurel Hester (Julianne Moore) is a police investigator in Ocean County, New Jersey. She is a closeted gay to everyone at work including her longtime partner Dane Wells (Michael Shannon). She starts dating young mechanic Stacie Andree (Ellen Page). They sign up as domestic partners. When Laurel is diagnosed with cancer, she applies to have Stacie receive her pension only to be rejected by the town council for their lack of a marriage. Gay activist Steven Goldstein (Steve Carell) sees a golden opportunity to fight for gay marriage.This should be a compelling movie especially with these great actors. Everything seems to be there except for some imagination in its execution. The writing is formulaic. The movie could be interesting if it picks one character to tell the story. It essentially follows Moore in the first half but her character is incapacitated in the last part of the movie. The movie needs some imagination in its construction to make this film more original. On a minor note, the Jersey accent makes the romancing a little awkward. The ladies are good together. Dane has the most interesting journey. This could have been one of the year's best but it's not even close.

Seriously people!!! So much hates on this review section. At first I'm gonna tell you how i found this movie. I was searching for a romance movie on internet then i found it. I bought the DVD and decided to watch it alone, because it's a Homosexual romance (first i thought it's really a gay lesbian movie ).But it was more than that. Once upon a time i was homophobic person. I hated gays and lesbians more than i hate imaginary gods. I after realized that homosexuals are humans to. They have emotions like strait people. They love, they cry and they laugh. This movie based on a true story and very heart touching. I cried after watching this movie. Seriously it's very cute romance with saddest images of gay community. People, if you don't like this types of movies then don't watch. But stop saying nonsense about this. I'm from Bangladesh, a country with so much ignorance and hate. But i came to light, it's time for you to come out too. After all, it's very emotional movie with complexity. I liked it and watched twice.

Not long ago I saw 'Carol', thankfully it is not another that and better than that. It was based on the documentary short of the same name about a real life same sex couple who fought for the equal rights and the pension benefits, while one of them was treated for cancer. It is a great drama about fighting for justice than the romance as it states, but that part as well very impressive.Ellen Page and Julianne Moore, both were awesome, except Moore was a bit old. By seeing them I felt being a lesbian is sweetest than straight, hetero and even gay. The first half was all about the relationship, but very decently narrated romance tale. And in the next half once Steve Carell enters the scene, the film diverted to another side of the story. All the actors were very good, including Michael Shannon.Obviously the story was predictable and that is expected often in a biography. Because if they want to alter it, then they should pen a very cleverest script the audience never saw one like that before. I think telling a true story as it is is the point and that's what this filmmaker did. So don't complain about the storyline, just consider whether it is inspiring or worth a watch for other reasons.For me it was almost a sentimental piece, but the second half story compromised and then I realised what this film was trying to say. Underrated film of the year for sure. Anytime I suggest it, especially for the grown ups and with a neutral mindset, because it is not all about the same sex romance, but the battle for equality in society.8/10

If you've already seen Philadelphia (1993, with Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington), you'll watch Freeheld and have a feeling of déjà vu. Written by the same screenwriter, Ron Nyswaner, Freeheld has all the elements of its predecessor: (i) it's inspired by true events, (ii) the main character has a disease and enters into a legal battle while sick, and (iii) there is a lot of prejudice against homosexuals. Despite all the similarities, Philadelphia is superior, and I'll try to explain why.As Tom Hanks in Philadelphia, we see Julianne Moore transforms physically as the disease progresses. She always gives great performances, but I felt like I enjoyed it more during the first act, when she was struggling to keep her relationship a secret. Ellen Page is also great, especially when she's defied by her future boss who doesn't believe she can work repairing cars because she's a woman.Having said that, the best character, in my opinion, is Dane Wells (Michael Shannon), Laurel's partner in the police who struggles with himself when he finds out she's gay, but ends up helping her. Steve Carell is also in the cast and he was very applauded by the audience in the session I was in. He definitely gave the film a lighter and funnier tone, since it's clearly a tearjerker.Philadelphia had a different effect on me because the characters involved are more complex: the audience knows why Tom Hanks' character was fired, but the discussion is deeper than "because he's gay". In Freeheld, on the other hand, we see the "Freeholders" discussing Laurel's request behind close doors and their decision is simple and fast, with no further questions (except for Josh Charles' character). So, even though we all knew the ending to both films before they actually end, Freeheld felt like an old formula to me. Full review: http://wp.me/p5Rk4c-em