Dallas Buyers Club

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Jennifer Garner, Steve Zahn, Dallas Roberts, Michael O'Neill, Denis O'Hare
Directed by: Jean-Marc Vallee
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
2013

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A man (Matthew McConaughey) diagnosed with AIDS circumvents the medical system to get experimental drugs that he believes will help him.

Review:

Tim: I really, really enjoyed Dallas Buyers Club. In just about every sense, this is a great movie. I appreciate the time and effort it took to get this movie made, and it addressed a very challenging, difficult time in American history. Today, we have a much better understanding of the AIDS epidemic and there is much less of a stigma associated with it. A few short decades ago, though, that was not the case. This movie does a superb job of painting a portrait of that time period- a period where HIV was considered the "gay" disease and people were genuinely frightened of contracting it, even from the most superficial level of contact with one infected. It was a hard time for people, and that shows up here.

I loved how this film explored the role the U.S. government played in the AIDS epidemic. The FDA and pharmaceutical companies were pushing drugs that really didn't do much for their patients (and in many cases, caused more harm). There was so much uncertainty and confusion, and patients had very few, limited options. The characters in this film go outside of the United States and find alternative treatment options, which by firsthand experience, worked far better than the treatments offered in the U.S. Hence, Dallas Buyers Club. It's such an interesting story and I love that it's being told in this film.

Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto are both incredible in this film. McConaughey lost an incredible amount of weight for the role and really transformed himself into a man inflicted with AIDS. Physical transformations only take you so far- McConaughey has the acting chops to pull this role off. At the beginning of the film, he's unlikeable- a selfish, egotistical loser who shares the same ideology as much of ignorant America. His life is changed when diagnosed with HIV, and we watch as he undergoes this incredible transformation. That takes place slowly, occasionally almost imperceptibly, and that is remarkable. McConaughey did an incredible job and I'm happy that he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Jared Leto is also remarkable as the transgender Rayon. Physically, it is amazing to see his transformation and some people will applaud him just for playing a transgendered individual. However, the performance he gives goes beyond makeup. He makes this person who existed on the edges of society a real, multidimensional human being. He infuses Rayon with real humanity. I loved the interactions between Leto and McConaughey. Leto gives a brilliant, heartfelt performance, and I was happy he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (this is only the 5th film to pick up both Actor and Supporting). These two men make this movie.

Jennifer Garner adds very little- she's really not a great actress. That is incredibly clear here. Steve Zahn is always good, but his role was too small to make an impact. Michael O'Neill gave a very strong performance, and the rest of the supporting cast is fairly strong.

This film deals with a hard subject matter, but it breaths life into this story. It's remarkable in that it is a true story, and it unfolds brilliantly on screen. This is a very memorable, entertaining, informative movie. I would certainly consider this one of the best films of 2013, and I suspect will be a movie people talk about for years to come.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



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