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Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Great Film overall

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

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.

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

Like the recent film Carol, Freeheld portrays the romance between two women who are very different with each other in age and ideology, but with sincere emotions transcending any difference. And, also like Carol, Freeheld employs the romance as the framework of wider subjects, revealing the injustices committed against people who don't fit into the supposed standard of "normality" approved by society. But unlike Carol, Freeheld portrays true events which happened in this century, proving that there's still a long road to finish. The romance between the main characters of Freeheld feels honest and absolutely credible thanks to the precise screenplay and the wonderful performances from Julianne Moore and Ellen Page. Freeheld is a very well structured film, with a first half which perfectly establishes the situation, and a second one which reaches a high narrative eloquence while strengthening the drama without manipulating the audience. Besides of Moore and Page, the performances from Steve Carell and Michael Shannon are also worthy of applause, and their characters efficiently represent the complex political and social angles from the touching story. In conclusion, Freeheld is a brilliant film which deserves a very enthusiastic recommendation. And even though it didn't receive as much acclamation as Carol or Philadelphia, I personally found it much more powerful and memorable.

It's 2002 and we open on… No, wait, it's 2003 now. A year has gone by and… No, wait, she's typing "as per the law enacted in 2005" now but only a month has seemed to pass in the story and… Oh, screw it! I can't keep up anymore. Freeheld, the new movie from director Peter Sollett and Oscar nominated writer Ron Nyswaner, is a relevant film with a discussion about LGBTQ equality that must be had, though it has suddenly become not so relevant. The message is the star of the film and it seems as if Sollett and Nyswaner rushed to make the movie in time forgetting that at heart they are storytellers. They defaulted to the use of clichéd dialogue and stereotypical archetypes, mostly wasting the talents of a stellar cast to release a film that could have had so much more impact if seen just four months earlier, before the SCOTUS decision on Marriage Equality. What they forgot in their haste is that if the story is not told well, we become lost and the thematic elements become insignificant as we just don't care.Freeheld tells the moving true story of Laurel Hester (Julianne Moore/Still Alice, Boogie Nights), a highly decorated detective of the Ocean County, New Jersey Police Department who was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Closeted at work in order to...Check out the full review on David 'n the Dark! https://davidnthedark.wordpress.com/2015/10/12/too-cliche-and-too- quick-to-care/