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.
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.