(Rated R)
Finally…I
have watched Dallas Buyers Club! I
typically watch movies with this kind of hype when they are initially released
but for one reason or the other I wasn’t able to watch this one until now. Sometimes when a movie has received as much
attention as this one I find myself disappointed because it doesn’t live up to
the hype. Not this time. I could just simply say WOW…but this film
deserves so much more.
The film was
inspired by a true story. Yeah, yeah, I
know a lot of films say that…but this one really was. In 1992 journalist Bill Minutaglio wrote an
article entitled “Buying Time” that appeared in Dallas Life Magazine. The article discusses how Dallas became a
center of the black market in unapproved AIDS drugs and the role that Ron
Woodroof played in that. You can read
the article here: http://buyersclubdallas.com/
Hollywood
became interested in the story and after several failed attempts finally made
this film that took the movie industry by storm. The movie is set in the late ‘80s and focuses
on the story of Ron Woodroof (played by the fabulous Matthew McConaughey). Woodroof is an electrician, a bull rider, a
hustler, a heavy smoker, a drug user (particularly cocaine), and a lover of
casual sex. He’s also a racist and
homophobic. His world changes dramatically
when he is diagnosed as HIV-positive and given an estimated 30 days to live. Woodroof is initially in denial of his
impending demise because he doesn’t think there is any way he could have a
disease that seems to be targeting homosexuals.
HIV and AIDS
were new to many in this time period and the medical industry certainly didn’t
have all the answers (or were keeping them to themselves). After his health deteriorates more while
taking high doses of AZT Woodroof began researching other treatment options. In an effort to extend his life he ended up
obtaining drugs from Mexico from a doctor who had previously had his license
revoked in the US. His health improves
on the new drug regimen of ddC and peptite T and he soon realizes that he can
make money by importing the drugs and selling them to other HIV-positive
patients. This led him to starting the
Dallas Buyers Club – a membership only club where members were provided drugs
and treatment free of charge in return for their membership dues – along with
the help of Rayon (played by Jared Leto), a HIV-positive transsexual who he had
met while previously in the hospital.
The movie continues to explore the relationship between these unlikely
friends, the effects of HIV on their lives and those around them, as well as
the effects of government regulations and pharmaceutical companies on the medical
industry.
The cast of
this movie is phenomenal! Unless you
have been living under a rock you have probably at least heard of some of the
numerous well deserved awards bestowed on the cast and crew in recent
months. During awards season there
wasn’t much said about Denis O’Hare who played Dr. Sevard with only slightly
more attention to Jennifer Garner who played Dr. Eve Saks, however both of
their performances were excellent – especially Garner’s. The performances of Jared Leto as Rayon and
Matthew McConaughey as Ron Woodroof were absolutely awesome! I had seen many clips before watching the
entire movie so I had an idea of how great they were in the movie, but was just
blown away at their transitions. They
were so effective in portraying these characters that it was easy to forget who
they really were.
I frequently
disagree with who the acting awards are given too…but not in this
instance. The awards earned by Jared
Leto and Matthew McConaughey were well deserved. And the speeches given by them were fantastic. If you did not watch the Oscars and missed
their acceptance speeches (or just want to see them again) I urge you to check
them out.
Jared Leto’s
acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actor can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCtch3DzLRs&feature=share&list=PLJ8RjvesnvDNF36HHQ0mRqDgEnLvTXnzO&index=1
Matthew
McConaughey’s acceptance speech for Best Actor can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD2cVhC-63I&feature=share&list=PLJ8RjvesnvDNF36HHQ0mRqDgEnLvTXnzO&index=25
Also check
out the official site for Dallas Buyers Club here: http://www.focusfeatures.com/dallas_buyers_club/overview
While this
movie may not seem like the most uplifting film at first glance I challenge you
to look deeper at it and deeper at yourself.
Where do your thoughts lie concerning the AIDS epidemic? How would you feel if you or someone close to
you tested HIV-positive? What measures
would you take to save or extend your life or that of someone close to you? In the words of Matthew McConaughey…This film
was never about dying. It was always
about living. So just keep living…
Dallas
Buyers Club (2013) - my rating: A+
(Matthew
McConaughey’s Just Keep Livin foundation can be found here: http://www.jklivinfoundation.org/)
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