Dallas Buyers Club - Review

I had been looking forward to seeing Dallas Buyers Club this movie for months, it was released in Spain on March 14th, 2014, 4 months after the US release date so the coverage and the awards helped build my expectation.  I finally watched it on March 16th here in Spain. So this is my review and comments so if you are yet to see it don't read this, it contains spoilers etc.

When I first heard of the movie I had no idea of its contents and the image of Matthew McConaughey in modern cowboy clothes didn't bode well. I'm not a fan of Matthew McConaughey nor of Jared Leto. Of the 3 leads, Jennifer Garner was the only one I had some respect for as I've liked a few of her movies, 13 Going on 30 being one of my favourites. 

I read an interview with Jared Leto about his role as a pre-op transsexual and how he prepared for it etc and I felt more intrigued. All I can say is, he would be a pretty woman, he is a pretty man so the physical change would be plausible.

A movie about AIDS is never going to be easy. A friend of mine died in 1997 of complications relating to the disease so I have seen what happens to a 35 year old man with the disease and I know how horrible the medications can be, the side effects etc so seeing it on screen again was hard. Ron Woodroof, the main character is womanizing, druken, macho man, and homophobe so his diagnosis comes as a shock as much as being told he has 30 days live, he, like many, regarded AIDS/HIV as a disease for homosexuals, we all know it isn't but in 1985 ignorance ruled supreme and drug companies were out to maximize profits out of scared dying men. So Ron decides to accept his diagnosis, fight it, research it and make a profit out it a the same time. During his 2nd time in hospital he meets Rayon a transexual who helps him, they form an unlikely friendship. Rayon's character could have been so much more but it is almost a characature of a transexual, with all the bitchy vulnerability and troubled childhood cliches. It could have been better done but Jared Leto makes a good go of it and is very good. Garner plays Dr Saks a junior doctor working on the AZT trial in the hospital and has formed a good relationship with Rayon and eventually becomes intrigued by Ron. 

Ron begins take international trip to Mexico first (he spends time in a hospital there taking a mix of medicines and vitamins under the care of an American Dr stripped of his licence). He begins importing the drugs to the USA to sell to other HIV/AIDS sufferers for $400 a month, forming a club to bypass various laws.

The club is a success but is hounded by the FDA and the IRS on a regular basis but it is a success and as the reputation of AZT declines more people want to try other drugs and remedies. The movie continues focusing on Ron, Dr Saks and Rayon. Rayon is clearly in decline and his eventual demise happens when Ron is on a drug trip to Mexico. Clearly Ron's friendship with Rayon has softened him up, changed him and he continues to fight the disease and keep the club going.

The film was good, it was moving but if it had not been for the 2 male leads and their dramatic weight loss and physical transformations then I wonder if it would have been so hyped. There have been many movies about AIDS but perhaps this being about a straight man, a stereotypical macho man having it, made a difference. I would have liked the plot to beef up the story of Rayon and Dr Saks but perhaps that wasn't possible in the 116 minutes. The film left me a little empty and sad but also with a feeling that thank god people don't have to go through that anymore, there is less ignorance and better drugs and more and more people survive. 

Barcelona

March 17 2014