Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Marlo Thomas | ... | Tess Lynd | |
Martin Sheen | ... | Ken Lynd | |
Barry Tubb | ... | Jeff Lynd | |
Talia Balsam | ... | Margie | |
Ben Piazza | ... | Dr. Mark Waldo | |
John Terlesky | ... | Pete Roberts | |
Corinne Camacho | ... | Claire (as Corinne Michaels) | |
Matthew Laurance | ... | Nate | |
Joseph Adams | ... | Stu | |
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Richard Sargent | ... | Pat Malone |
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Thomas Peacocke | ... | Dr. Daniels |
Moira Walley-Beckett | ... | Sue Wister (as Moira Walley) | |
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Jeff Irvine | ... | Hank |
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Dave Sayer | ... | Counterman |
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Rebecca Staples | ... | Maribel |
Young and shy Jeff discovers his attraction to men. After struggling with himself he comes out to his parents. His mum eventually listens to him and tries to understand his feelings, but his dad would rather die, leaving a mother, her son, and his friend to work out the things Jeff and his dad never had the courage to discuss. Written by Christian Fieres <chris@waldfee.psycho.de>
Movie-of-the-week about a gay young man who comes out to his parents. Martin Sheen plays the father--frustrated, embarrassed and angry--who turns his son away, but mom Marlo Thomas reaches out to her boy with love and understanding. TV not tackling taboo territory, but taking baby steps (still); it's about as sexually frank as the glossy coming-out opus "Making Love" from 1982 (and with just a whiff of a mention of "that disease" that dare not speak its name). Writer John McGreevey, adapting Laura Z. Hobson's novel, keeps shifting the narrative back to the parents--ostensibly because Sheen and Thomas are the movie's stars. Naturally, the straight-laced couple would be shocked and confused by their son's revelation (that's only natural), but just whose story is this?