I almost saw Freeheld in theaters as a Michael Shannon double feature with 99 Houses, but a physical injury enervated me. I’m glad that I didn’t because the drama film and documentary are both called Freeheld and are on the DVD. I prefer the documentary.
Freeheld is based on a true story about a cop who gets diagnosed with terminal cancer and fears that her domestic partner will not be able to afford to live in their house after the cop dies since she is not her wife and not eligible to collect her pension. The events in Freeheld transpire before the Supreme Court’s decision on marriage equality so the county cop had to ask her county’s Board of Chosen Freeholders to change the law or grant an exception considering her twenty-five years of service.
Freeheld as a movie begins more like a cop drama than a civil rights movie, and unfortunately, Freeheld doesn’t do a good job of showing the main character as the badass cop that she was in real life. Freeheld the movie shows her being knocked out, dragged by a car and being empathetic with a witness whereas in real life, she sounded just as competent on the streets as she was behind a desk. Freeheld emphasizes her vulnerability and willingness to sacrifice to garner sympathy with the audience, but in the real world, a female cop that is constantly getting knocked out would not be as beloved by her partner and community. Freeheld the movie should have allowed Julianne Moore to really emphasize her strength so her deterioration and dependence would feel more like a sudden gut punch than a smooth transition.
Freeheld also rushes the romance, and the chemistry only begins to emerge after the diagnosis. Of course, the documentary does this better because who can compete with a real life couple versus actors, even ones as excellent as Ellen Page and Moore.
Steve Carrell and Michael Shannon, who finally plays a good guy, steal the movie and are allowed to be more dynamic when paired with any other character than the central character. Even Page gets one rousing competition scene that trumps any moment that Moore has, who is muted. (Side note: so there were no gay actors who could play the Chair of Garden State Equality? Not one. OK)
Freeheld is a pretty standard tv film and is moving in spite of its well-worn narrative devices and Moore as martyr.