Dallas Buyers Club (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
Based on a (mostly) true story, Matthew McConaughey plays Ron Woodruff, a foul-mouthed Texan rodeo cowboy in 'Dallas Buyers Club' (directed & edited by Jean-Marc Vallee). The film opens with Ron having gross, sweaty, dingy, drunk sex with 2 slutty girls at the same time at a rodeo. He's homophobic, womanizing, racist, alcoholic, a druggee ... and he treats everyone like crap. His karma? Well, he gets HIV. And in the early 1980s, that was a very scary thing, indeed. At first, he poo-poos the disease, assuming that the doctors made a mistake. But when he realizes that it's true (and that he may have as few as 30 days left to his life), he is forced to confront possible death, as well as the alienation of his a-hole friends {who now think he's a queer}.
Ron, refusing to go down without a fight, tracks down a drug that will seemingly prolong his life. He partners up with Rayon (Jared Leto), a drug-addicted transgendered woman he met in the hospital, & soon they are recruiting HIV/AIDS patients in support groups (mostly gay men). To avoid being accused of selling non-FDA approved drugs, they set up the "Dallas Buyer's Club", where members pay $400 for the treatments they need. Before long, Ron befriends Rayon - the very type of person he would never have affiliated with - and he starts traveling the world for experimental drugs to add to his offerings. Drama ensues.
Matthew McConaughey lost a huge amount of weight for this film {who does he think he is, Christian Bale?}. Resembling a man with advanced HIV, he looks extremely unhealthy ... which is the point. McConaughey has been experiencing a Renaissance period in his career. Gone are the atrocious romantic comedies. He's nailed it in 'The Lincoln Lawyer', 'Bernie', 'Killer Joe'; and in this year alone ... Mud, The Wolf of Wall Street, & 'Dallas Buyers Club'; where he completely embodies Ron Woodruff. McConaughey starts off VERY unlikable, here. There is no rooting for him, whatsoever. But then he goes through his big transformation. He becomes a good person, while still retaining his cockiness & stubbornness. This is a bold performance. He's nominated for an Academy Award for it. And yet, funny enough, I slightly preferred him in the superb Mud and in his small, but hysterical turn in The Wolf of Wall Street.
Jennifer Garner delivers a nice little portrayal as the doctor who sympathizes with Ron/Rayon's cause. And the surprise in the film comes from Jared Leto as Rayon, who changes Ron for the better. He's mischievous, humorous, but not without his faults, either (a drug addict). It's a brave performance. That said, I feel like the praise for both him & McConaughey has been too effusive. For Leto, it's the kind of showy role that Oscar voters eat up without actually taking note of nuance or technique. Unpopular opinion, but while Leto is an excellent actor, and while he's undoubtedly 'good' here, and though he has a heart-wrenching scene with the unsupportive father character - I don't know - to me, the script gave him little more than to slap on a wig, put on make-up, strut his stuff, act saucy, & voi-la ... awards!!!!! I also believe that the script shortchanges the emotional impact of his final moments in the film; it does him few favors.
On the whole, I think the film - as directed, written, structured - is only okay. It felt like a TV movie. I think it goes on a tad long & gets repetitive, as well. i.e., how many times do we see Jared Leto shoot up, or McConaughey exit another hospital after having cursed out a doctor? On the surface, this is, at times, a moving drama. Ray Woodruff can be seen as a sort of hero. The friendship btwn. Ron & Rayon is sweet. I liked the plutonic chemistry btwn. Ron & Jennifer Garner's doctor. But I didn't find the movie compelling. I wasn't moved to tears. The straight man-saves-the-day story arc, the grungy early 1980s look of the film, the good-but-not-great performances, the over-length ... it all contributed to me feeling meh about the proceedings, while not at all thinking that it is a bad motion picture.
Ron, refusing to go down without a fight, tracks down a drug that will seemingly prolong his life. He partners up with Rayon (Jared Leto), a drug-addicted transgendered woman he met in the hospital, & soon they are recruiting HIV/AIDS patients in support groups (mostly gay men). To avoid being accused of selling non-FDA approved drugs, they set up the "Dallas Buyer's Club", where members pay $400 for the treatments they need. Before long, Ron befriends Rayon - the very type of person he would never have affiliated with - and he starts traveling the world for experimental drugs to add to his offerings. Drama ensues.
Matthew McConaughey lost a huge amount of weight for this film {who does he think he is, Christian Bale?}. Resembling a man with advanced HIV, he looks extremely unhealthy ... which is the point. McConaughey has been experiencing a Renaissance period in his career. Gone are the atrocious romantic comedies. He's nailed it in 'The Lincoln Lawyer', 'Bernie', 'Killer Joe'; and in this year alone ... Mud, The Wolf of Wall Street, & 'Dallas Buyers Club'; where he completely embodies Ron Woodruff. McConaughey starts off VERY unlikable, here. There is no rooting for him, whatsoever. But then he goes through his big transformation. He becomes a good person, while still retaining his cockiness & stubbornness. This is a bold performance. He's nominated for an Academy Award for it. And yet, funny enough, I slightly preferred him in the superb Mud and in his small, but hysterical turn in The Wolf of Wall Street.
Jennifer Garner delivers a nice little portrayal as the doctor who sympathizes with Ron/Rayon's cause. And the surprise in the film comes from Jared Leto as Rayon, who changes Ron for the better. He's mischievous, humorous, but not without his faults, either (a drug addict). It's a brave performance. That said, I feel like the praise for both him & McConaughey has been too effusive. For Leto, it's the kind of showy role that Oscar voters eat up without actually taking note of nuance or technique. Unpopular opinion, but while Leto is an excellent actor, and while he's undoubtedly 'good' here, and though he has a heart-wrenching scene with the unsupportive father character - I don't know - to me, the script gave him little more than to slap on a wig, put on make-up, strut his stuff, act saucy, & voi-la ... awards!!!!! I also believe that the script shortchanges the emotional impact of his final moments in the film; it does him few favors.
On the whole, I think the film - as directed, written, structured - is only okay. It felt like a TV movie. I think it goes on a tad long & gets repetitive, as well. i.e., how many times do we see Jared Leto shoot up, or McConaughey exit another hospital after having cursed out a doctor? On the surface, this is, at times, a moving drama. Ray Woodruff can be seen as a sort of hero. The friendship btwn. Ron & Rayon is sweet. I liked the plutonic chemistry btwn. Ron & Jennifer Garner's doctor. But I didn't find the movie compelling. I wasn't moved to tears. The straight man-saves-the-day story arc, the grungy early 1980s look of the film, the good-but-not-great performances, the over-length ... it all contributed to me feeling meh about the proceedings, while not at all thinking that it is a bad motion picture.