Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

moonspinner55 A young gay man from the sticks comes to New York City in 1969 hoping for a better life, but finds the homosexual lifestyle just as stifled in the big city under police pressure, corruption and harassment. The legendary gay riots near the Stonewall Inn take up just five minutes of the film's running-time, the final five minutes. This low-budget, brightly-colored film is more interested in the lives that would soon be affected by the riots than in the aftermath of the violence--and so we get stock characters like the naive blond cowboy, the underworld group controlling the club, the straight-seeming activists for a Homosexual Alliance, and lots and lots of drag queens. Director Nigel Finch seems to make a concerted effort to equate homosexuality with drag behavior, and drag behavior with (ultimately) prostitution. Perhaps this was true of the times, but Finch's presentation (though not campy) has cartoonish leanings and nostalgic overtures that don't express anything more than what most people already realize: the cops were corrupt, the gays were not saints, and they clashed. There's a good movie to be made about Stonewall, but this one just scratches the surface. There are some sweet moments (a sing-along on a bus, a dance between a drag queen and a gay conservative), but just as many scenes where the tone intended hasn't a hope in hell of coming through. ** from ****

YourAsst While Stonewall hits upon some facts about the Stonewall Riots, it is pretty much based upon fiction. Much of this movie is apocryphal. For example, the who idea that the Stonewall Riots were somehow influenced by Judy Garland's death was suggested by the homophobic police-- as a bigoted joke. New research shows that the Stonewall Riots were started by what most people would classify as sissies from nearby bars after hearing that police were beating up Stonewall patrons. There weren't very many drag queens allowed in the Stonewall.The police who conducted the bust were not from the precinct that was in charge of the area; but a separate group dealing with morals violation. In fact, once barricaded inside the bar, they called for help, but the Sixth Precint wouldn't help, having already been paid off by the mob who owned the bar.

Chris Bush We are set in the year 1969 where Homosexuality is illegal and dressing in drag is likely to get you arrested, if not beaten!Everybody has their own Stonewall story... Everyone that lived through it will have a fantastic memory to tell anybody that will listen. Well this film is La Miranda's story. La Miranda is a fictional drag queen and this film is all about how her and her friends got through the Stonewall days.I learned a lot from this film. I never realised how tough it was for gay people living in America at that time. I never once thought about what those people did to make life so much easier for us now. As a gay man myself, I felt touched by this film and the reality of what really did happen back then.Stonewall is a brutal film that delivers a very strong message in a very straight forward, no crap, right to the point kind of way. The characters in the film are all adorable in their own way and you can really feel what they are feeling.You will find yourself staring at the screen in amazement at how strong these people really are. Every person in this film gives an outstanding performance... I can not fault any of the actors. There are no big names in this film either and that is what makes it even more special.No big star actors being in this movie means that you can get really close to the characters and you can relate to them, rather than picture them in another role and another movie. It is also a very private movie, it wasn't a huge box office smash hit like Titanic or Star Wars. It's the kind of movie that nobody has really heard of but is always hooked on it once they finally see it.Anybody that knows about Stonewall will know that the people that lived through that riot were fighting for people like myself, my boyfriend and all gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, drag queens and everyone alike. They sacraficed everything they could to pave the way for us to live with the freedom we deserve. They deserve to be respected in every way possible and this film does just that. It portrays them for what they really are.... HEROS!I really loved this film and I seriously recommend everybody sees it... you will learn something and you will be moved!

dinty It's a well-meant effort with a lot of heart behind it but far less by way of acting, writing and directing prowess. The leads are competent but flat and the direction is pretty standard issue (with the exception of the riot, which is quite badly staged and directed). The period pop songs, lip synched by the drag queens, grow tiresome after a while. I found the Duberman book powerful, passionate and engrossing as any novel - maybe someday someone will feel inspired to do a film adaptation right. All in all, this movie's a heroic effort but not a success.