Dallas Buyers Club (2013)'s comments

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The_Comatorium

http://thoughtsfromthebooth.com/2013/11/15/film-review-dallas-buyer-club-2013/

My review

10 years 5 months ago

mysteryfan

Decent movie but was bit boring too.

10 years 4 months ago

Dogged determination, lust for life, unlikely heroics – very engaging though a little too one-sided and heavy-handed. Not in the book, but could well have been.

https://beyond1001movies.wordpress.com/

8 years 4 months ago

kwjacke

A bad film. The story is formulaic and predictable, with nearly every beat foreshadowed in very obvious ways, the characterizations are virtually all two-dimensional caricatures, the dialogue and plotting is handled without any subtlety or nuance, and some of the symbolism is SO obvious (the butterfly room, the crooked picture), it makes my jaw drop that any adult could see it and not feel insulted.

The only real standout thing is McConaughey's performance. However, his Oscar win was ultimately undeserved (Chiwetel Ejiofor's depiction of Solomon Northup is far fuller, deeper, and more complete), and he is better than this material. Jared Leto, on the other hand, doesn't bring much to his performance other than, "Hey, this character is trans!" Rayon has no real complexity or depth as a character, but playing a sassy drug addict who's part of a marginalized demographic with contemporary political visibility is a pretty surefire way to attract attention from Oscar voters, I guess. Flash forward 50-100 years, and this will likely be seen for the rather stereotypical, caricatured portrayal it is. It's 2013's equivalent of Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain, i.e. a bad performance bizarrely hailed as great. Michael Fassbender was absolutely robbed to lose to this.

10 years 1 month ago

devilsadvocado

Great movie if not ever so slightly formulaic. This could have been Puncture (2011) with all the externals replaced. But I have nothing to lament here, that was two hours well spent. Superb actors taking on great characters. A good story that felt real thanks to a director who could refrain from pulling too hard on the easy emotional knobs and levers of the Oscar-bait machine. Just the right touches of heart, humor, and titty sprinkles.

10 years 3 months ago

Earring72

After seeing True Detective and this movie, I've gained a lot of new respect for him as a actor.

But found the movie a bit cold and distant and not the moving and engaging drama i expected.

It IS a good movie though

8 years 7 months ago

royalspikey77

Not blown away by this film. The actors do a sterling job, I will definitely agree with that - but the story, pacing and emotive engagement just didn't chime for me. Left me feeling cold, despite the high standard of the acting (across the board btw).

9 years ago

Michael12

Dallas buyers club should have won best picture. I loved this film, it was so emotional, and you're rooting for Matt's character the entire time. This movie provided a new and different perspective on the AIDS epidemic, and definitely warrants a couple more viewings. Really gained a whole new respect for McConaughey.

9 years 3 months ago

stexdo

Great drama! It's amazing how low-budget movies (this was done with almost no additional lighting and no looping) nowadays can look good even on a big screen. What you have already heard about this movie is correct: superb acting. The story moves fast and is always interesting. Definitely one of the best movies of the year!

10 years 1 month ago

Zolex

The story in itself has the potential to become boring very quickly (at least for my taste), so this film had to have the right kind of details and acting to keep me intersting. I was not disappointed. McConaughey really plays his role well, but the star of this 'Dallas Buyers Club' is Leto, what an amazing role he managed to pull off the entire time.

9.5/10

10 years 1 month ago

Camille Deadpan

Does Jared Leto as Rayon trying to sort of imitate Marc Bolan and also Candy Darling?

Ps. Bradford Cox from the band Deerhunter is in this!

10 years 2 months ago

ikkegoemikke

I swear it, Ray, God sure was dressin' the wrong doll when he blessed you with a set of balls.

I admit. Everyone will probably repeat this infinitely times. The acting of Matthew McConaughey is irrefutable top level. I'll do it just one more time ... the acting of Matthew McConaughey is top level ! After I saw him in "The Lincoln Lawyer " where he plays a lawyer who works from out of his Lincoln, there was a sign of sheer acting talent in the movie "Mud". "Mud" isn't an average movie. You like it or you hate it. But it it does show that he isn't an ordinary actor. The metamorphosis in "Dallas Buyers Club" is even more spectacular. Physically it must have been quite a sacrifice in order to lose that much weight. The image of him lying in the hospital next to Rayon and his hospital pajamas reveal a skinny leg, is shocking at the time. How he plays that hotheaded Woodroof sometimes, is really a joy to watch. With that Texas accent he talks like a cheeky rascal and a few moments later it sounds flattering and seductive. He likes to taste the pleasures of life : Sex , Drugs and Rock 'n Roll. I must admit I hardly recognised him at the beginning with that big mustache, those big glasses, the stetson on his head and that skinny body. The moment they told him in the hospital he had AIDS was memorable. The way he reacts is a perfect display of how a heterosexual person would react that never used hard drugs (using a needle). He denies it completely and rejects the assumption to have AIDS. Instead, he returns to his camper and organizes with his drinking buddies a wild orgy with lots of booze, cocaine and willing rodeo ladies.

Jared Leto plays the role of Rayon brilliantly. A transvestite who tries to bound with Ron, but gets taunted by the latter in a humiliating way. The moment Rons friends turn their backs at him (also a strong fragment) and they avoid him like he's a leper, is the point he starts tolerating Rayon, although he keeps making teasing remarks. Leto was convincing as an addicted but attractive transvestite.

During the whole movie there is an interaction between dramatic and humorous moments. There is the monopolizing role of the FDA in terms of legalized medication. They focus more on the profit margins and seem to forget about the effective healing effects of certain medications. You can enjoy the humor both in conversations as in certain situations that arise. The bond of friendship that develops gradually between Ron and Rayon is the main storyline.

Frankly, it was hugely entertaining until the club was founded. From there it was a little less interesting and actually more of a boring presentation of Ron who travels the world looking for suppliers and new drug cocktails. And again a fight against the FDA while Ron gradually degenerates (although this isn't actually shown explicitly). A strong,humorous and touching start that significantly begins to captivate to the end. Personally I think the role of Eve by Jennifer Garner even was a minimal contribution to the whole. The doctor in Mexico was, compared to her, a more interesting character role.

In "Philadelphia" the movie got weaker by dragging in the cliché court scenes. In this movie it's the constant fight against a government agency such as the FDA which begins to irritate. But despite that, it's a hell of a movie, with two excellent performances done by two excellent actors.

More reviews here : http://bit.ly/2qtGQoc

6 years 8 months ago

dippygirl78

Excellent! great acting by McConaughey whom I've never rated but he totally brought it to this film. He actually looks close to death at one point which gives you an idea of how he prepared for the role.
Never seen Jared Leto in anything before but I was impressed not an easy feat these days!
Horrible to see the role of the FDA in keeping drugs from people, even if the evidence of it working is overwhelming.

9 years 3 months ago

IreneAdler

FINALLY I saw this gem of a movie. Witnessed all the pre-Oscar-buzz and watched the Academy awards and now after all I got round to watching the film.

I have to say it completely blew me away. Yes, I did expect it to be really touching and interesting, but it moved me even more deeply than I thought it would. I think it's a beautifully told true story about a bunch of people fighting extremely devastating circumstances and a disease that was even more of a taboo back then than it is now.

In addition to the touching theme the actors' performances were just brilliant:

Matthew McConaughey managed to not only portray the character and suffering of Ron Woodroof in a very believable way but he also made me like the character in the end, although Ron is probably not the most kind or likeable person in the world - and neither did I like McConaughey as an actor very much before I saw that movie. Well, that has certainly changed.

But another important, if not the most important reason for me to like this movie, was Jared Leto's portrayal of the transgender person Rayon. He really became Rayon and showed all the characters charme, fear, pain and traits in such a heartfelt way... I totally fell in love with the character Rayon and her sweet relationship with Ron.

It also has to be said that it's great such movies are being made, movies that do not only bring up the subject of HIV and Aids but also are a plea for tolerance, not just towards victims of diseases like this one but also for homosexual and transgender persons in general.

9 years 8 months ago

jhhayes

I just watched DBC with less than 24 hours to go until the Academy Awards begin. All I'll say is that if McConaughey and Leto don't walk away with gold, the Academy Awards will have officially deemed themselves irrelevant in my book.

10 years 2 months ago