Making Love
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Movie Reviews of Making Love
Movie Review: An Admitted Gay Classic
Summary: 4 Stars
Twentieth Century Fox took a chance back in 1982 when it produced and released "Making Love." The critical response was mixed at best. The heterosexual audience shouted negative comments during the boy on boy kissing scenes. The gay audience members were not enough to assure financial success. However, the film now deserves a reappraisal.
I didn't like the movie when it first came out. For many years I thought it was a bland, over glamorized, unrealistic depiction of a gay man coming out, and leaving his wife. In spite of what some people have said, this was NOT the first positive film about a gay man released by a major studio. Look back 10 years to United Artists "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" for that Big First. "Sunday.." even had a love scene involving a passionate kiss between Peter Finch and Murray Head. And yeah, straight people grossed out in that one too. "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" was also hailed as a cinematic masterpiece by the critics. However, again, director John Schlesinger's film didn't make a dime at the box office.
As I watched "Making Love" in 2007, post "Brokeback Mountain," I saw the film for it's very real virtues. The cast of Kate Jackson, Harry Hamlin and Michael Ontkean is attractive and affecting. So what if you're always aware of them acting? Most of the movies Hollywood releases every year involve artificial performances from major name players. Ontkean in particular gives a nicely understated interpretation.
Even if certain scenes don't ring true, such as the talking heads telling the audience their feelings rather than the script demonstrating those emotions, and the dialogue is somewhat trite at times ("What about passion! What about support!"), the basic conflict of the characters does.
I hadn't realized how important the Ontkean/Hamlin love scene and the happy ending, were until after seeing 1993's "Philadelphia" neuter any feelings of physical passion from Tom Hanks and Antonio Banderas' lovers, and the furer that greeted "Brokeback Mountain" last year.
In the mid-2000's no major American gay movie star has yet to come out of the closet. Patricia Nell Warren STILL cannot get her very moving, very dramatic 1974 novel, "The Front Runner" made into a movie. Hollywood producers, gay and straight, are still terrified of presenting an honest depiction of of gay people without tragic consequences as a main subject(see "Brokeback..." and "Philadelphia" again). "Making Love" really deserves to be seen, or seen again. I'm glad I did.
Movie Review: Better Than I Remembered
Summary: 4 Stars
MAKING LOVE is described in the original trailer for the film as "controversial." I suppose that would be an accurate assessment in 1982 when the movie opened. With WILL AND GRACE every week for years as well as QUEER AS FOLK available for television audiences, however, it is difficult to see much controversy in 2006. Yes, there is a real kiss between Michael Ontkean (Zach) and Harry Hamlin (Bart); but the bedroom scenes with everybody involved shouldn't offend your Aunt Hannah. What I found most surprising this time is that I do not believe the word "gay" or "homosexual" is ever mentioned by anybody in the entire movie. When Zach finally tells Claire (Kate Jackson) what is really wrong with their seven year marriage, he says that he has feelings for other men. That's about as close as he gets to using the G word. The plot is straight-forward. A 30ish L. A. doctor (Ontkean) falls for a patient (Hamlin) and ultimately leaves his wife of seven years (Jackson). Ontkean has all the fears and longings of a man finding himself desiring other men and makes the mistake of many men in his position of assuming that his love object Hamlin wants to move him in and live happily for the foreseeable future. Instead he runs into the wall of the urban gay lifestyle of many men in the early l980's, where lots of sex with a lot of different men without much commitment was the order of the day-- or night.
The three actors, through their acting, manage to make this film more than a gay soap although it often does have the feel of a made-for-TV-movie, whatever that means. (The director Arthur Hiller, on the other hand, as well as the actors, is no stranger to televsion drama.)
In spite of the almost too cute names-- Zach, Bart, Claire and Baby Rupert-- the film ultimately makes a decent statement about a very difficult subject: what is a man to do when he figures out that, although he loves his wife deeply, he wants to spend the rest of his life with another man.
This film is much better than I remembered.
Movie Review: Ahead of its time
Summary: 4 Stars
A married man (Michael Ontkean) is happily married to a beautiful, intelligent wife (Kate Jackson). Then he meets an openly gay novelist (Harry Hamlin) and finds himself sexually attracted to him.
This was released in 1982 with a huge amount of publicity. It was the first Hollywood film from a major studio to deal with homosexuality. Unfortunately audiences weren't ready for it. I read about audiences storming out of the theatre when a big gay kiss came on screen. Really--what did people think they were gonna see on the screen? I saw it in Boston MA and it was dead quiet--nobody left. But the word of mouth was that the film was actually boring (it sort of is) and it died at the box office.
The big problem with this film is that it was too timid--it tried to please everybody and ended up pretty bland. The gay kiss was ground-breaking--but that's as far as the film went. No nudity and the sex was suggested. Instead we had a lot of LONG discussions between the characters--most of it had nothing to do with the main subject (I'm still at a loss to understand what that old woman that Ontkean and Jackson went to see had to do with anything). The good acting by the entire cast held my interest.
It's really pretty sad that over 20 years later Hollywood STILL won't have a gay love story like this--nobody dies and it has a happy ending. Instead we get "Brokeback Mountain" which has two self-loathing gay guys and one of them has to be killed by the end.
Movie Review: a very old movie.
Summary: 4 Stars
i saw this movie with the love of my life and we had been togeather for 17 years at the time. this movie really dates itself. it is a wonderful thing but i remember when it first came out and all anyone talked about was "the kiss" this was racey stuff back then. we have all come a long way, thank goodness. this and some others were about all there was available to us back then and you settled for what you got. boys in the band was a terror. i have just finished this movie and it brought back so many memories. i hadn't seen it since 1982/3. In some ways it is better than what they are making now but in other ways, WHO WANTS TO GO BACK TO THAT. there is only one reason i would like to go back and that is very private. michael ontkean is still good looking and he and harry hamlin took a real chance when they made this. mr. ontkean still to this day likes to rub anyone he is kissing and i found this very sexy then and now. watch this movie and try to keep the snickers at a minimum. it is a very enjoyable movie. i gave it four stars for its longevity more than anything else. i remember it so well.
gary in az.
Movie Review: Finally on DVD - it's about time
Summary: 4 Stars
I am a gay male and I highly recommend this movie. I enjoyed seeing it very much when it first came out and have been waiting for it's DVD release. Sure, it's a romantic (and antiseptic) film - probably get a PG rating today. But the story is just as valid today as it was in 1982. What happens in a marriage when one of the partners falls out of love - or falls in love with someone else? That, in a nutshell, is the plot. The cast is just fine; no great fireworks are required. Michael is fine as the bewildered husband, Kate has probably the best role of her career, and Harry is young and handsome. If you watch this movie (and I hope you will), the ending is very moving and effecting. It's a tear-jerker, but a little real emotion never hurt anyone.
And, any movie with Wendy Hiller can't be all bad, can it?