Rating: NR
Genre:
Drama
Release Date: 10/07/2003
SubTitles: English/French/Espanol
Dubbed: English/Espanol
Sound: DD2/DD5.1/DS
Run Time: 108 Minutes
Distributor/Studio: HBO Home Video
Although undergoing a sex change is not as unusual a procedure as it once was in days gone by, it is still hardly an everyday occurrence -- especially in rural, conservative western Illinois, where
Normal takes place. After 25 years of marriage,
Roy Applewood (
Tom Wilkinson) surprises his wife,
Irma (
Jessica Lange), by announcing that he'd rather be a woman, and in fact has felt like a woman for most of his adult life. As
Roy undergoes the standard hormone and prosthetics process to transform himself into "
Ruth," his sudden gender switch elicits shock, surprise, and anger from friends, family members, and co-workers alike -- but also is met with support and sympathy from a number of extremely unlikely sources. Tastefully produced and acted, the film wisely avoids shock value in its subject matter and condescension in its treatment of middle-America types. Directed by
Jane Anderson, who also adapted the script from her own stage play
Looking for Normal, the made-for-cable
Normal premiered March 16, 2003, on
HBO.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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