Dallas Buyers Club

I went and saw this Thursday night and give it a strong endorsement.

I think it's a very important movie for gay men to see. For those of us who are older, it's a reminder of the way things were in the kind of middle days of the AIDS epidemic, when people where dying in droves and were desperate for help that the government and medical establishment weren't providing. For younger gay men, it's an important history lesson about AIDS.

I also like it because it works well today. Most of the movies about AIDS that were made during the epidemic were overwrought and melodramatic. That was appropriate for then; not so much now. Dallas Buyers Club treads a middle ground that's very effective.

It's nominated for six Oscars and is very deserving. Matthew McConaughey is favored to win Best Actor and gives life to a character whose life is transformed during the course of the film (which is based on a true story). Jared Leto is nominated for Best Supporting Actor. His character (a transvestite drug addict) is a little over the top for my taste, but he does have two or three VERY powerful scenes. Jennifer Gardner is also outstanding as a doctor.

All in all, it's not an easy movie, but it's very worthwhile, and I highly recommend it, especially for gay audiences. It's not a gay movie, per se, but it's about a time in our history that we should never forget, and also a reminder of those we lost and also should not forget.