ViewGuide

Created Nov 17, 2013 12:51PM PST • Edited Nov 17, 2013 12:59PM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Really Great 4.5

   2013 is one of the richest Placer Gold deposits in Hollywood history. Placer gold is a granular deposit in the river of life that contains grains in sediment that would otherwise be mounds of mud without them. DBC is a movie treasure that leaves you knowing you could done nothing in its 117 minutes any better than that. It is a story of fine strokes in the big picture of gay culture during a fearful time. Our generation has watched the history of gay rights and acceptance in slow motion which strangely enough has not helped its story to be told any faster in the movies. DBC is filled with irony and poignancy, with strong efforts of craft from the director, the actors, the writers, and the producer.

4. Acting

   Really Great 4.5

   All married men who accompany their wives to the theaters become familiar with Matthew McConaughey’s (MM) work. While MUD may have been a failed effort in joining the pantheon of great actors, DBC is not. I can’t remember a performance by an actor where all the dimensions of a human life are so well played. Ever. We see it from Meryl Streep and wonder when we will see it from someone else. That’s how strong it was. Jared Leto turns in a performance of a lifetime as Rayon. Both of these guys should win an Oscar for their performances. As Eve, Jennifer Garner cements her status as the John Wayne of her gender. And the supporting roles add richness to MM’s performance embodying the key counterparts to the dimensions of the lead’s character.

5. Male Stars Perfect 5.0

   If there is justice is this world, there will be pictures of MM next to Meryl after the awards holding their Oscars. We a completely authentic performance of a drunk TX playboy get the hardest news a guy could have received. MM shows us it all, enough to know and only enough not to limit our imaginations. All dimensions of being a man in TX are on display from his multiple mounts prior to mounting the bull to the days on his job as a rig hand to the roadside emotional breakdown alone to any number of moments in strength. “Ok Missy Man, what you got?”, “I would have figured your for queens”… The dinner scene with Eve is the first one I have seen since Meg orgasmed all over Billy where I wish I was the guy. You pay over and over in disappointment to go to the movies to see a performance kike this. The irony is that MM, a Texan, played a Texan with a problem in order to win the award. it was closer than he thought all along. The performance is so strong that Hollywood will forget that W lives here with MM, and still give him the award.

   All the promotions allow you to think that some skinny guy with AIDS will be crying in his bedpan somewhere alone. But my God, if you ever need to be reminded of the skill in acting, you need to go no further. MM delivers scene after scene portraying this human experience like no other. The C-SPAN History channel will review this performance as the evidence that AIDS was a horrible human tragedy, not a gay or drug addict tragedy. Had it been told like this back in the day, progress would have come sooner. We see denial, fear, acceptance and strength from McConaughey that no other actor has shown in a long while. In this era of movies, the leads are being asked to sharpen a narrow suite of eccentricities to make a point or for a purpose. This script asked MM to broaden not narrow Ron. Thank God.

6. Female Stars Very Good 3.5

   Jennifer Garner as Dr Eve Saks turns in a good performance providing the oral history of the early misfire with AZT. Knowing modern women of today, I was admittedly surprised by her stand. But DBC does show you the upper limits of her skills during the dinner scene. And admittedly, after 30 years of movie going, it would be nice touch if a writer or director could show a female venting anger with something other than a hammer and dry wall.

7. Female Costars Perfect 5.0

8. Male Costars Perfect 5.0

   Then along comes Jared Leto. Yes, that Jarod Leta as Rayon. Probably the best performance as a gay guy ever. Long forgotten as the guy who once plowed Cameron Diaz, Leto humanized emotion, confusion and productive compassion throughout the movie in a way that helped like I haven’t ever seen. His seen with his dad will land in the top ten all time favorite scenes of my movie going life. Every son must have that kind of moment with their dad, or the life of the survivor never overcomes the guilt and regret of things not understood between them. Leto comes to his dad’s place of work committed as a gay man to have his moment in need with this self-esteem in place. The movie was filled with scene after scene like that until you realize that Leto and MM are simply hitting home run after home run with the material. Both deserve Oscar nominations.

   Steve Zahn surprises, or does he, in his role as supportive friend in law enforcement.

10. Film

    Really Great 4.5

    Look, maybe it’s too soon to find the words to put this one in its proper perspective. The movie will be memorable to you if you can get past all the preconceptions of what you think it will be and allow you to marvel, as Ebert always said, at the magic in the movie theater. On paper, Ron Woodroof was homophobe druggie electrician bull rider living in Texas in the 1980’s. He contracts HIV for all his efforts and then discovers that everyone did not know what to do about it. But unlike many stereotypical portrayals of sweaty guys dressed as pink flamingos storming city hall somewhere, straight America finally gets to see this human struggle. it is obviously one of the best David and Goliath battles you have seen in a while. Bu you can get that far with any cable news broadcast.

    What you don’t get from any of the reviews including this one is the great depth MM and Leto bring to two characters. The story with rich informative script tell an amazing story of their otherwise stereotypical characters. It is told bravely, sensitively, honestly, professionally and culturally but simultaneously from the straight Ron Woodroof but also from gay Rayon.

11. Direction Great 4.0

    The direction was very good, but there were moments such as the scene in the restaurant, the office and the courtroom where the director could have gotten more impact from MM’s effort, especially so around the story of the painting. Conversely, the director and MM hit it out of the park with the scene of a crying Ron in his car.

12. Play Perfect 5.0

    The head snapping moment in this movie was when at the hour mark you realize that every scene built upon the previous, that the gratuitous social statement was not going to come, that the overriding victimization of the protagonist was not going to come and more importantly that plenty of good stuff was going to keep coming.

    I hope the writers find more material to write about. The dialog among the guys, straight and gay was primo.

13. Music Great 4.0

    another great aspect of this movie centered around the relative proportion of the music to the story. This movie was set when you could still hear yourself think if you went outside, unlike the movies and sporting events of today, but it still fed the backdrop of your thinking.

14. Visuals Great 4.0

    Loved the old cars, the shoe-box sized cell phones and the overuse of folders and files.

15. Content

16. Edge

    Sordid 3.2

    Hard to write about this topic while set in TX without some form of edge to it.

17. Sex Erotic 3.5

    Skinny old cowboy in the holding pen with two delightful TX women was a nice touch, the trailer sex was great and Ron’s immediate recognition of the common ailment of one of his “members” all played well.

18. Violence Brutal 2.6

    Couple pops to the face, some mouth blood all seemed ok to me for a skirt chasing electrician

19. Rudeness Nasty 3.6

    The profanity was in question but I cuss at lazy left hand turn lane cell phone using sloths, so who am I to judge.

21. Reality

    Glib 1.1

22. Circumstantial Glib 1.3

23. Biological Natural 1.0

24. Physical Natural 1.0