''Common Ground'' is a 2000 Showtime

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

directed by

Donna Deitch Donna Deitch (born June 8, 1945, San Francisco, California) is an American film and television director, producer, screenwriter, and actor best known for her 1985 film '' Desert Hearts''. The movie was the first feature film to "de-sensational ...

and written by Paula Vogel,

Terrence McNally Terrence McNally (November 3, 1938 – March 24, 2020) was an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. Described as "the bard of American theater" and "one of the greatest contemporary playwrights the theater world has yet produced," M ...

and

Harvey Fierstein Harvey Forbes Fierstein ( ; born June 6, 1952) is an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter, known for his distinctive gravelly voice. He gained notice for his theater work in '' Torch Song Trilogy'', winning both the Tony Award for Best ...

Plot

"A Friend of Dorothy's"

In the 1950s, Dorothy Nelson (

Brittany Murphy Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack (; November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009) was an American actress and singer, known for her work in both comedy and drama. Born in Atlanta, Murphy moved to Los Angeles as a teenager to pursue a career in a ...

) joins the United States Navy where she meets the Friends of Dorothy, a code name for a group of gay and lesbian sailors. She meets Billy (

Jason Priestley Jason Bradford Priestley (born August 28, 1969) is a Canadian-American actor and television director. Priestly starred as virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1990–1998, 2000). His other television roles in ...

), who takes her to an interracial nightclub that accepts gay people. However, the NIS raids the club, and Dorothy is among those servicemembers who receive a blue discharge for " sexual perversion". Returning to Homer, she tries to restart her life as a public school teacher, but her unfavorable discharge prevents her from getting a job. When her homosexuality becomes public knowledge, Dorothy's mother expels her from the house, forcing her to seek shelter at a family friend's grocery store. However, her presence drives away the customers, and the friend has no choice but to ask her to leave. An independent-minded woman named Janet (

Helen Shaver Helen Shaver (born February 24, 1951) is a Canadian actress and film and television director. After appearing in a number of Canadian movies, she received a Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress for her performance in the romantic drama '' In P ...

) at the local diner defends her against bullies chasing her and lets her spend the night. She calls a friend in New York City's bohemian

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

to take Dorothy in for a week, advising her that moving to a place like that is the best way for her to be free to be herself. Dorothy permanently leaves Homer on a bus the next morning.

"Mr. Roberts"

The second story flashes forward to the town of Homer in the 1970s, towards the end of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. There, a

closeted ''Closeted'' and ''in the closet'' are metaphors for LGBTQ people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and sexual behavior. This metaphor is associated and sometime ...

gay high school French teacher, Mr. Roberts (

Steven Weber Steven Robert Weber (born March 4, 1961) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Brian Hackett on the television series '' Wings'', and as Dr. Dean Archer on NBC’s Chicago Med. He also voiced Charlie B. Barkin in '' ...

), has a student named Toby Anderson ( Jonathan Taylor Thomas), who is on the verge of coming out of the closet, and who he suspects wishes to confide in him. Roberts must keep his homosexuality a secret for fear of losing his job, but his live-in boyfriend Gus ( Scott McCord) pressures him to set a good example for the students by illustrating the importance of tolerance and justice. Toby visits a

prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...

referred to him by his swim coach, thinking that she might help him "become a man", but instead she gives him some good advice about being himself. After Toby is sexually assaulted by bullies in the locker room and discovered by Roberts, Roberts decides to finally stop being a coward and comes out to his students, and lecturing them on the evils of bias-motivated hatred. Toby graduates high school and leaves Homer to attend

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

"Andy and Amos"

The final short story takes place in the present day (2000), when a father and the townspeople have to come to terms with the fact that two men will be getting married during a commitment ceremony to be held in the town. Ira ( Ed Asner), the father, is planning to lead a protest march against the wedding, while his son, Amos ( James LeGros), is nervous about getting married and going against the cultural stereotype of gay men. The film ends on a positive note, with father and son reconciling and the wedding taking place as scheduled.

Cast

* Edward Asner as Ira *

Beau Bridges Lloyd Vernet "Beau" Bridges III (born December 9, 1941) is an American actor. He is a three-time Emmy Award, Emmy, two-time Golden Globe Award, Golden Globe and one-time Grammy Award winner, as well as a two-time Screen Actors Guild Award nomine ...

as Father Leon *

as Don * Brian Kerwin as Chuck Dawson *

Margot Kidder Margaret Ruth Kidder (October 17, 1948 – May 13, 2018) was a Canadian and American actress and activist. She amassed List of Margot Kidder performances, several film and television credits in her career spanning five decades, including her bes ...

as Mrs. Nelson * Erik Knudsen as Young Johnny Burroughs * James LeGros as Amos *

as Dorothy Nelson *

as Billy *

Mimi Rogers Miriam Rogers (née Spickler; born January 27, 1956) is an American actress. Her notable film roles are '' Gung Ho'' (1986), '' Someone to Watch Over Me'' (1987), '' Desperate Hours'' (1990), and '' Full Body Massage'' (1995). She garnered the g ...

as McPherson *

as Janet * Eric Stoltz as Johnny Burroughs * Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Tobias "Toby" Anderson *

as Gil Roberts * Scott McCord as Gus * Caterina Scorsone as Peggy

Production

''A Friend of Dorothy's'' was written by Paula Vogel; ''Mr. Roberts'' was written by Terrence McNally; and ''Andy & Amos'' was written by Harvey Fierstein.Zahed, Ramin
"Review: ‘Common Ground’"
''Variety'', January 27, 2000 The plays star

, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Edward Asner and James LeGros. The film contains three short stories about gay Americans during different time periods in the fictional town of Homer,

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, and their efforts to find "common ground" or respect from the heterosexual majority.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Common Ground (Film) 2000 films American LGBTQ-related television films Lesbian-related television shows Films set in Connecticut Films with screenplays by Terrence McNally Showtime (TV network) films 2000 LGBTQ-related films 2000s LGBTQ-related drama films 2000s English-language films Films directed by Donna Deitch 2000s American films