Freeheld

Critics Consensus

Freeheld certainly means well, but its cardboard characters and by-the-numbers drama undermine its noble intentions.

48%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 137

54%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 3,403

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Freeheld Videos

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Freeheld Photos

Freeheld (2015)

Freeheld (2015)

Freeheld (2015)

Freeheld (2015)

Freeheld (2015)

Freeheld (2015)

Steve Carell as Steven Goldstein in "Freeheld."

(L-R) Ellen Page as Stacie Andree and Julianne Moore as Laurel Hester in "Freeheld."

Michael Shannon as Dane Wells in "Freeheld."

Josh Charles as Bryan Kelder in "Freeheld."

(L-R) Julianne Moore as Laurel Hester and Ellen Page as Stacie Andree in "Freeheld."

(L-R) Julianne Moore as Laurel Hester and Ellen Page as Stacie Andree in "Freeheld."

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Movie Info

Diagnosed with terminal cancer, decorated New Jersey detective Laurel Hester wishes to leave her pension benefits to domestic partner Stacie Andree. Denied by local county officials, Laurel receives help from hard-nosed colleague Dane Wells and activist Steven Goldstein, who unite to rally fellow police officers and ordinary citizens to support the couple's fight for equality.

Genre:

drama, gay and lesbian, biography, romance
Original Language:

English
Director:

Peter Sollett
Producer:

Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher, Cynthia Wade, Jack Selby, Duncan Montgomery, James D. Stern, Julie Goldstein, Phil Hunt
Writer:

Ron Nyswaner
Release Date (Theaters):

Oct 2, 2015 limited
Release Date (Streaming):

Jan 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA):

$533.0K
Runtime:

1h 43m
Production Co:

Filmax, Double Feature Films, Filmadora Nacional, Endgame Entertainment
Aspect Ratio:

Flat (1.85:1)

Cast & Crew

Julianne Moore
Laurel Hester

Elliot Page
Stacie Andree

Michael Shannon
Dane Wells

Josh Charles
Bryan Kelder

Luke Grimes
Todd Belkin

Skip Sudduth
Reynolds

Show all Cast & Crew

News & Interviews for Freeheld

On DVD This Week: Bridge of Spies, Suffragette, Show Me a Hero, and More

Video: Julianne Moore and Ellen Page Take a Super Selfie!

The Martian is Certified Fresh

Critic Reviews for Freeheld

Flat, and lacking the archly deadened attributes of Todd Haynes' Carol, a quartet of World's Greatest Actors work hard to animate a timid movie.

February 23, 2016 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Tara Brady
Irish Times
Moore gets to wear a striking wig but has no dialogue that makes you look twice. And the more Stacie cries over her saintly lover, the more guiltily conscious you become that your own eyes are water-free.

February 21, 2016 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Charlotte O'Sullivan
London Evening Standard
Why does Michael Shannon get the best written part in a lesbian drama?

February 19, 2016 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

Katherine McLaughlin
Little White Lies
You've got to feel sorry for the makers of Freeheld. They must have thought they had it in the bag.

February 18, 2016 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
One to avoid.

February 18, 2016 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
Even if the script and direction don't deserve of them, you still can't go too far wrong giving the heavy lifting to Julianne Moore and Ellen Page.

February 18, 2016 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Olly Richards
Empire Magazine
Curiously, more believable exchanges transpire between Julianne Moore and Michael Shannon, while Ron Nyswaner's screenplay fails to provide sustenance for Laurel Hester's relationship with Stacie Andree.

October 13, 2020 | Rating: 2.5/5 | Full Review…

Nicholas Bell
IONCINEMA.com
Freeheld means very well, but is ultimately too bland to have much effect.

April 15, 2020 | Full Review…

Dan Scully
Cinema76
By respecting their viewpoints, their privacy, and their humanity, Freeheld is the dramatization Laurel and Stacie deserved.

May 1, 2019 | Full Review…

Matthew Eng
Tribeca Film
Freeheld's first act combines irrelevant police cases with an awkward early-stage romance that develops into a cheesy, sun-splashed love story.

April 12, 2019 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

Rachel Brook
One Room With A View
The filmmaking and plot do just enough to support the performances of Moore and Page, both of which are monumental and powerful enough to make the movie a solid success.

March 1, 2019 | Rating: 7/10 | Full Review…

Bernard Boo
Way Too Indie
The film inexplicably never develops into anything more than a based-on-a-true-story TV film of the week.

February 14, 2019 | Full Review…

Paula Fleri-Soler
Times of Malta

View All Critic Reviews (137)

Audience Reviews for Freeheld

Oct 04, 2016

http://cinephilecrocodile.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/freeheld-dir-peter-sollett-2015.html

Anthony L Super Reviewer
Jun 30, 2016

An emotional tribute-film to Laurel Hester and Stacie Andree. They were a gay couple, who reluctantly turn activists, when Hester was denied the ability to assign her death benefits to her partner, Andree. The acting is stellar if the direction is not. The storyline takes a predictable note, but none of that matters. By the time you see photographs of the real Hester and Andree at the end of the movie, you'll be wiping away tears.

Aldo G Super Reviewer
Feb 21, 2016

Heartfelt and heartrending, "Freeheld" is a real tearjerker of injustice, loss and hope. The dialogue lacks inspiration, but the intimate acting of Moore and Page make up for it.

Christian C Super Reviewer

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