Dallas buyers club is a hell of movie. It is powerful, moving, touching, delicate and harsh at the same time. It has a European fell to it, and it is Oscar worthy. But, it is boring.
1) The acting. I write this review after the Oscars have been given and I believe that the Academy has done a great job this time. Matthew McConaughey is absolutely brilliant. He has shown that his acting capabilities are sky-high. His (disturbing) physical transformation, his strong southern accent, his charisma, his performance of a man broken transformed into a man so strong is magnificent. Not giving him an Oscar would be a crime. But, the one that truly rocked the cradle was Leto. I do not remember one person in my movie watching career that gave such a performance. He literally swept McConaughey in every scene they shared (take into consideration that McConaughey's role is the best one this year). One scene in particular points out his supremacy - the father-son talk where the suit Leto wears fits him like he was a woman! That kind of acting is a role model even for Daniel Day Lews. Garner was cute, nothing more. Cute is the word that describes her entire role and acting (but one can forgive her, she had Leto and McConaughey to deal with).
2) The story. This is where the movie fails. The story had everything it needed to become a historical movie: political correctness, the problem of AIDS awareness, the "evil" FDA, the small man's fight against the government etc. etc. It utilized non of these. The story focused entirely on the acting and the characters and halfway through the movie, I became bored. When I become bored during a movie, there is something very wrong with it. I can understand that this type of a movie is supposed to be like this but I can remember movies like The Insider that really worked up the story and held you on the edge of your seat.
3) The music. Terrible. Just terrible. There is almost no music, and where there is some, it is just not fitting.
4) The directing. Masterfull. Vallee gave it a slow paced (a bit too slow paced) note, he new exactly when and where to do what. Every scene fits perfectly into the big picture. This is textbook directing. But, a bit more risk would not have hurt.
All in all, this is one movie you should watch. It is powerful and moving, with brilliant performances but without a strong storyline. I simply cannot shake the feeling that more could have been done.
1) The acting. I write this review after the Oscars have been given and I believe that the Academy has done a great job this time. Matthew McConaughey is absolutely brilliant. He has shown that his acting capabilities are sky-high. His (disturbing) physical transformation, his strong southern accent, his charisma, his performance of a man broken transformed into a man so strong is magnificent. Not giving him an Oscar would be a crime. But, the one that truly rocked the cradle was Leto. I do not remember one person in my movie watching career that gave such a performance. He literally swept McConaughey in every scene they shared (take into consideration that McConaughey's role is the best one this year). One scene in particular points out his supremacy - the father-son talk where the suit Leto wears fits him like he was a woman! That kind of acting is a role model even for Daniel Day Lews. Garner was cute, nothing more. Cute is the word that describes her entire role and acting (but one can forgive her, she had Leto and McConaughey to deal with).
2) The story. This is where the movie fails. The story had everything it needed to become a historical movie: political correctness, the problem of AIDS awareness, the "evil" FDA, the small man's fight against the government etc. etc. It utilized non of these. The story focused entirely on the acting and the characters and halfway through the movie, I became bored. When I become bored during a movie, there is something very wrong with it. I can understand that this type of a movie is supposed to be like this but I can remember movies like The Insider that really worked up the story and held you on the edge of your seat.
3) The music. Terrible. Just terrible. There is almost no music, and where there is some, it is just not fitting.
4) The directing. Masterfull. Vallee gave it a slow paced (a bit too slow paced) note, he new exactly when and where to do what. Every scene fits perfectly into the big picture. This is textbook directing. But, a bit more risk would not have hurt.
All in all, this is one movie you should watch. It is powerful and moving, with brilliant performances but without a strong storyline. I simply cannot shake the feeling that more could have been done.