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Review

Lesbian writer/director Jane Anderson, who directed and wrote the stunning 1961 segment of If These Walls Could Talk 2 has given us quite a gift with Normal. Irma (Jessica Lange) and Roy (Tom Wilkinson) are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary in the Baptist church hall where they are quite active. When the minister salutes their union, Roy mysteriously faints. After tests prove that he's healthy physically, their minister calls them in to see if he can help. Roy confesses that it's not work stress but something far more serious - he's a woman in a man's body and he's decided to have gender re-assignment surgery. The look on Irma and the minister's face is something beyond shock. That evening Irma throws Roy out in disgust. Not only does Roy have to face his family with this news, but also his blue-collar co-workers and his conservative church. Roy finds spots of support in his life. Irma comes around because she loves Roy. Their daughter Patty Ann, with gender questions of her own, shows complete open acceptance. And Roy's boss agrees not only to keep him, but to promote Roy as a way for him to fend off any harm. Unfortunately the church offers no welcome to their transgendered follower.

This solid made-for-cable film is based on a stage play, Looking for Normal, and has been successfully adapted to film. The acting is first-rate all around, particularly Jessica Lange and Tom Wilkinson. While seeing Tom Wilkenson in clothing we normally ascribe to women might seem shocking at first, we get used to it, just as Irma must. Normal is a memorable film about a subject that is changing the way we view the world.

Scott Cranin