12 GAY PEOPle's ChroNICLE JULY 17, 1998

EVENINGS OUT

A man's coming out, seen through his wife's eyes

by Harriet L. Schwartz

While Change of Heart is, in part, a mid-life coming out story, it is primarily a story about a family in crisis.

Capturing the complexity of family love and commitment, the Lifetime movie follows the Marshall family, thrown into turmoil when Jim-Elaine's husband of 20 years and the father of two teenagers— comes out as gay.

The impact of Jim's coming out is seen through the eyes of his wife Elaine (Jean Smart). Elaine is a strong, yet vulnerable character whose story includes issues

around career advancement and the power of friendships between women.

Smart's performance is the strongest among this talented cast that also includes John Terry as Jim Marshall, and Dorian Harewood as colleague Dr. Lewis Franklin, a well-acted and likeable character.

Change of Heart's opening scene shows the Marshalls enjoying a family vacation at their country home. It also establishes both Jim and Elaine as successful professionals. Early in the film, the Marshall's son Jesse (Phillip Geoffrey Hough) stands up for a gay young man who is getting harassed by another kid on the basketball

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Jean Smart and John Terry court. This sets an interesting stage for Jesse's response when his father comes out.

Jesse's sister, Sarah (Shawna Waldron) plays a less prominent role in the movie. She is, however, part of a transformative moment for her mother, as both try to come to terms with Jim's sexuality.

Change of Heart reveals the fluidity of a family trying to cope with upheaval, as adults and teenagers move in and out of various grieving stages and brighter moments of heal-

ing. Writer Aaron Mendelsohn's story is well-crafted; he strikes a seemingly real balance between the shock of Jim's homosexuality and the break-up of what seemed to be an all-American family. Further, while Change of Heart is a serious and often painful drama, the film gets wonderful breathing room from a few well-placed moments of humor.

Change of Heart premieres Monday, July 20,9-11 p.m. on the Lifetime cable channel.✔ Harriet Schwartz is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.

Sandra Bernhard is a mom

Los Angeles-Openly bisexual comic actress Sandra Bernhard is a mom, her publicist said July 7.

Bernhard's publicist Tresa Redburn said the actress gave birth to a girl, Cicely Yasin, on July 4. The baby's father was not named. Bernhard, 42, is known for her portrayal of the brassy, bisexual ‘Nancy' on the sitcom Roseanne, along with guest spots on Chicago Hope, Ally McBeal (as an attorney named Cynthia Poop) and Politically Incorrect, to name a few.

Her third book, May I Kiss You On The Lips Miss Sandra, is due out in November. Bernhard's one-woman show, titled "I'm Still Here, Damn It," premiered as an HBO special on Friday, July 3.

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