Making Love

By: Scott Cranin
In-House Review - Dec 16 2011

Gay critics called it slick and superficial, regular movie critics such as Roger Ebert called it "predictable", but twenty years later, we call it significant.

The film stars Kate Jackson and Michael Ontkean as a "happily married" couple. That is until the handsome doctor starts to hit the very dated looking gay bars and "finds himself". He gives a writer, played by Harry Hamlin, a physical - and their reaction is totally physical. There's lots of melodrama as Jackson throws her homo husband out of the house and plenty of self-affirming talk. Will you hold your breath waiting for "the kiss" now in 2005? Probably not - it was radical then, and we can't think of all that many Hollywood mainstream films that feature passionate man-to-man kisses even now, 23 years later. So on second thought maybe that kiss still has power. Actually based on the pent-up demand for this soapy classic, we'd say that it definitely still packs a punch.

By: Amos Lassen

"MAKING LOVE"
Classic Gay
Amos Lassen
"Making Love: (1982), a gay themed classic has finally been released on DVD. When it first came out it was way ahead of its time and happily I say that time has still not fully caught up with it. It is a beautiful movie about two guys in love and they are just regular good looking hunks who build a life together.
When the movie opens we meet a successful young doctor who is married to his equally successful T.V. producer wife. Their lives are torn apart when suddenly the doctor confronts his repressed feelings for and attraction to other men. Zach and Claire live comfortably and seem secure in their love for one another when a Los Angeles novelist walks into Zach's office, Zach's feelings heighten as he realizes that something is happening inside of him over which he has no control. Zach cancels dinner with his wife and goes out with Bart who seems to be keeping his distance from Zach, Eventually the two get together and his absences from home lead Claire to suspect that he is having an affair with another woman, Bart eventually jilts Zach and he resolves to tell Claire the truth about himself and Claire feels that he has always deceived her.
I remember when I first saw this film. I thought I had never heard such silence in a theater before. When the two men kissed, the audience went wild. Several people stood up, others walked out of the theater and others yelled anti-gay remarks. (It was glorious).
When first screened, the movie broke ground. Two straight actors, Harry Hamlin and Michael Ontkean played the gay men and they took risks in making this film. We had not really had a movie that had shown two men having a loving relationship and the fact that they kissed on screen was an extremely brave move. Kate Jackson as Claire showed a depth she had never shown while one of "Charlie's Angels".
Even after all of the years have passed, "Making Out" is still one of the first coming out films ever made. As it depicts the coming to terms with sexual identity, the movie is excellent.
"Making Love" sends out a strong message and that is to trust your heart and be true to yourself and to the ones you love. The relevance f the film is till strong and it anticipated the sensitivity which is so common today in gay-themed films.
When the move was released it was quickly dismissed as a melodrama even though it dealt with a controversial topic. This hurt the film's release and people did not go to see it. Interestingly enough, some of the scenes that are in the movie have yet to be duplicated on the screen today. Even though the love making is not explicit sexually, it is clear and frank; Even "Philadelphia" which depicted a loving male couple did not give us a kiss like "Making Love" did. The movie is routine in every aspect except for the fact that it is a love story between two men. Because there is not a lot new or unusual in the film (in fact it is rather mundane), this is what makes the movie so appealing and wonderful. The love triangle was handed no differently than if the man had been another woman and the issue of homosexual love was treated with incredible respect. Love was dealt with positively and the characters actually had sex-unlike many other GLBT movies. The sex in the movie was real and not just theoretical.
"Making Love" has been called a soap opera" and I suppose it is but even so it was a big step forward. The characters were people who just happened to be gay. We must remember that it was very brave to make a film of this nature in 1982 as the AIDS epidemic was just beginning to claim lives of gay men.
As the movie follows a journey of self-discovery and the damage it can do, it depicts the reality of the situation. The characters, while suffering from inner turmoil, are refreshing, the script is literate, the actors give wonderful performances, and the kiss sent people shrieking. All in all, it is a movie that must be seen and cherished for what it did for our community.

By: notstraight

An excellent film for the time it came out...1982 and while I had to listen to the laughing from the audience, I felt many emotions run through me as the movie took hold of my heart and showed me a different view of gay men and how we deal with each other. I loved this film.

By: peterp88

By: CAROLINE McMASTER

By: Kodiak Bear

I was not yet 30 when I saw this film is 82'.
I was excited about seeing a movie about the lives of two
gay men. a positive movie!
Up until that time most movies with gays as the subject usually ended badly for the gay men. They would either kill
themselves in disgrace. or be killed.
That was Hollywood's cure for being homosexual.
(considering the treatment Brokeback Mt. recieved from the
some of the Oscar voters, nothing much has changed!).

But I do consider Making Love an important film. Because it
tried to show gay men in a much better light that they had
been. The acting was good and charicter development was
tight. The story its self was a simple one. No complicated
plot twist or sub plots to mar the storyline.

I only sorry that it took 23 years for another movie studio
to try to make another positive film about love between two
men. But Brokeback was worth the wait!
Now we can look at Making Love with fresh eyes and truly
enjoy it for the bold movie that it was.

By: Pucci

Isn't it amazing? I mean, it's so revealing to see how many of us previously married gay men have responded to MAKING LOVE in such a way that we want to open up about our fears and regrets. I refuse to get detailed about my experience 12 years ago. Only this, I will always regret the way I "ruined" a person's life and lost me profession. Yopu who have not been in this position can never understand the real feeling behind MAKING LOVE. Thank God a brave studio allowed it to be made those several years ago.

By: usn jo

I recall wanting to see 'Making Love' before it came out. I was married at the time; knew my marriage was on the rocks; and I knew why- but just couldn't quite admit it. But enough about me--let's talk about the movie.

I remember going off alone to see this film on a Saturday afternoon. From the moment, the theater darkened I knew what I had suspected was true, the movie was going to tell a very personal and painful truth that lay ahead for me. And I am sure it did for a lot of people who saw it.

The three actors, Kate Jackson, Michael Ontkean (who had already played husband and wife on ABC-TV's "The Rookies") and Harry Hamlin were perfectly cast for this role. I know the critics call this film slick. I disagree. The acting and the direction was top notch.

For 1982, the film was pretty daring. Schmaltzy? I don't know. I think every gay person who was either married or a late comer to realizing their orientation can relate to this film. I felt the emotions that both Zack and Claire were experiencing were honest and painful.

If anything, when I saw the film I wanted to know how my wife would feel when discovering the truth-- I knew how I felt. Kate Jackson, who has always been one of my favorite actresses (oddly enough my top three favorite actresses are all Kates: Kate H, Kate J and Kate M--and throw in a Kate Bush) was great, she played every scene perfectly. Kate commanded every scene that she was in.

And what about Harry and Michael? Zack's character was very well portrayed. Ontkean played the role of confusion perfectly. Zack was a character who was trying to put order in his life and knew to do so, was going to cost everyone in his life plenty. BUT I give it to the producers of this film for staying true to the emotions and not copping out.

Hamlin's hedonistic Bart was well done too... if anything, he played the role too well as I didn't think much of the character (nor were we supposed to). Sadly, Bart was a bit of a stereotype, but Hamlin did a good job of setting that story flaw aside.

All of the supporting characters did an excellent job as well, although the "old chesnut" of portraying Zack's father as cool and aloof is an old standby (perhaps the biggest stereotype in the movie) that I could have done without, but I realize that some of us do have strained relations with our parents.

I am glad to see the film finally being released on DVD (hopefully widescreen format). While I had difficulty empathizing with Claire and Zack's lifestyle (rather well-to-do), every thing else concerning their emotions resonated well; the casts' performances were earnest and heartfelt.

An added plus, for me, was Roberta Fleck's song of the same name that ended the film... its raw emotional power, to this day, still takes me back to 1982 in an instant.

I rank the film very highly and recommend it to anyone, even if it is a bit dated now.

By: New York, NY

I was a (gay) kid when this movie came out. I vaguely remember the controversy but remember vividly wanting to see it. Unfortunately, I couldn't ask my mother to take me. I had to wait many years to see an edited version on channel 5 -- and loved it. I just filled in the missing parts with my (dirty) mind. I'm not sure I've ever seen the unedited version but I loved how this movie made me feel-romantic and sexy and conflicted. It's the first gay themed movie I ever saw and remains very special. I had a crush on both Harry Hamlin and Kate Jackson. Talk about conflicted!

By: loubear70

I have always loved this movie. However, has anyone else besides me ever wanted to see the scene that was obviously reduced when Zack (Ontkean) finally confronts Bart (Hamlin)? I have always believed there was a final kiss between the 2 men, and dammit I want to see it.

By: Gay Movie Viewer

Word on the street is that Fox will release this early gay gem on DVD in February 2006, at a bargain list price of $14.95. WOW. When I bought my VHS copy in the early 90's, it was already out-of-print, and I paid more for it then any other VHS film I ever bought in my life (over $60, if I recall). Even so, to this day, I don't regret a penny of it. The film may seem quaint and quite mild by today's standards, but in 1982, when the film was released, but I'm sure that this was the first gay-themed movie I had ever seen where the gay men were not total stereotypes. The producers and production team went out of their way to make the characters as likeable and attractive as possible, and, at the time, I don't remember any of my friends who saw the film who weren't grateful for that alone. Many people have dismissed this film as an unbelievable "soap opera". Interestingly enough, a lesbian friend of mine had the greatest identification of anyone I knew with the character played by Michael Ontkean - she said that when she was coming out as a lesbian, and married at the time, her marriage was exactly like the couple in this movie. The lies, the sneaking around, the nervous confrontation with her spouse - it was all there. So don't let anyone tell you that this "soap opera" is totally unbelievable, for I know someone who lived it. And the two leads (both of whom are straight and were very nervous and also very brave about taking these parts) are cute enough to make the romantic in my soul enjoy this film even for the wrong reasons. Buy it for the right reasons ? it's a piece of gay history, and one of the first American films to deal with homosexuality in a positive light.

By: Nickguy

This is not a movie about a teen coming out. This is about a doctor in his late 20's early 30's, grappling with the sudden realization, that for the first time in his life, he is attracted to another man. This is a subject that is very bold and audacious for the late 1960's! And it's handled beautifully and skillfully acted. I have to ask the question... With the junk that's being rehashed on DVD, why isn't this great movie available on DVD?!?!

By: Blaine

By: Mtl, Village