Freeheld - C+

Rated PG-13, 103 minutes

The Supreme Court's recent decision on gay marriage was a huge win for gay rights, though its roots go back much further. One important milestone was the case of New Jersey cop Laurel Hester and her partner Stacie Andree. The well-acted and well-cast, uplifting new drama "Freeheld" details their story despite the fact it feels like it belongs on the small screen. Diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2005, decorated New Jersey detective Laurel Hester (Julianne Moore) wishes to leave her pension benefits to domestic partner Stacie Andree (Ellen Page). Denied by local county officials, Laurel receives help from hard-nosed colleague Dane Wells (Michael Shannon) and activist Steven Goldstein (Steve Carell), who unite to rally fellow police officers and ordinary citizens to support the couple's fight for equality. Directed by Peter Sollett ("Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist"), written by Ron Nyswaner ("The Painted Veil") and based on the 2007 Oscar-winning documentary short of the same, "Freeheld" is an honorable movie with an honorable story to be told, though without Moore superb, honest performance, it would be another bland TV-movie-of-the-week illness story. The talented cast in general holds the film together, with Page, Shannon and Carell all contributing nice supporting performances; I will say Carell isn't the best fit for a serious film such as this - at a recent screening, he elicited laughs when he appeared onscreen - though he does steal scenes in a stereotypical role as real activist Goldstein, who helped Hester gain some attention for her battle against the Freeheld (which is the name for the county government in New Jersey). Moore's vivid portrayal of Hester is a moving one, even if Nyswaner's script is strictly by-the-numbers, also changing some key facts of the story (including: Hester was already a lieutenant, here she is promoted on her death bed, and she wasn't as closeted as the movie made her out to be) for dramatic and emotional effect.  Whether you know the story or not, "Freeheld" is predictable and touching, with the outcome hardly a surprise, and it won't be a surprise if Oscar-winner Moore, who won Best Actress just last year, snags another nomination for this performance. For a better treatment, check out Cynthia Wade's (who serves as producer on this film) affecting documentary short of the same name.