"An
Affirmative Act" is launching itself on the premise that it is the
first movie to deal with same sex marriage. One of the problems with the
film is that it doesn't know whether to be a social tract, a court room
drama, a mystery or a political thriller. It winds up being neither of
these.

The crime(s) committed by Terry and Samantha Succi is that under false pretenses they 'passed' as a man and wife to marry and adopt a child. After two years living their fraudulent
life they are suddenly arrested. At first they are defended by a real
estate lawyer than their hotshot next door neighbor who is a powerhouse
lawyer who doesn't lose and isn't above taking money under the table.
His  wife is his investigator and doesn't hesitate to use her
over-developed bust and botox lips to get information.

Along
the way the governor of the State who is dying of inoperable cancer, a
prosecutor who offers them an unbelievable deal, which Terry refuses, a
judge whom isn't above being bribed with a higher job, a white Hitler
loving supremacist and someone referred to as the Man in the White Suit
serving some sort of purpose and other characters get involved with the
story.

The picture is filmed in
New Jersey and while the outside scenes sparkle the same can't be said
for the color and production values inside.

The story is bearable while the acting isn't. I have no idea how Charles Durning was enticed into making this movie--it certainly couldn't be the
pay--maybe a friend of the director or writer and producer--but when a
film can make a brilliant actor like him look, and act, as an amateur you know there is a problem!

Same
sex marraige is a subject that is ready to be looked into in movies but
as a subject "An Affirmative Act" fails in what could be and should be
handled with intelligence, drama and feeling.