The Truth About Jane (TV Movie 2000) ⭐ 6.7 | Drama, Romance (original) (raw)

Ellen Muth is a teen who comes out as a lesbian, and Stockard Channing and James Naughton are her parents in "The Truth About Jane," a Lifetime movie.

This was an excellent movie dealing with the shame and pain of being different, the realization of who you are, and the difficulty in telling your loved ones you're gay. Jane is terrified of losing her parents' love so she can't tell them the truth about her friendship with a lonely, unhappy girl, even after her parents are told they were spotted kissing. When she finally comes out, there is anger and denial at first.

The performances in this movie are excellent all around, as is Muth's voice-over of the girl telling her story. The emotions ring true. Unfortunately, it's all a little too pat and probably not the actual experience of many young people acknowledging their gayness. Jane's mom has a best friend (RuPaul) who is gay, and she also has a female teacher who admits that she is gay. So she has lots of support, and, since this is Lifetime, her parents come around.

Definitely worth seeing and discussing, and I'm sure the film would be helpful to anyone faced with this situation. But as we know from real life, acceptance often comes at a higher price.