Best Picture Oscar nominee features outstanding performances by McConaughey, Leto in unlikely roles
Fast-paced, incredibly well acted and surprisingly invigorating for a film about such serious subject matter, “Dallas Buyers Club” tells the true story of Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey).
Woodroof was a Texas electrician and rodeo cowboy who slept with every woman and took every drug he could get his hands on. His carefree lifestyle came crashing down on him when he learned in 1985 that he had contracted AIDS and had 30 days to live.
What ensues is a struggle to survive and a rebellion against the crooked practices of the Food and Drug Administration. In his clinic trials, Woodroof meets a transsexual woman named Rayon (Jared Leto) with AIDS who alerts him to the ineffectiveness of his doctor-prescribed treatment. This results in Woodroof leading an offensive against the restrictive policies of the government on AIDS medication, forming an illegal drug dispensary to give AIDS sufferers the drugs they need, the Dallas Buyers Club.
Go to “Dallas Buyers Club” for the compelling story, and stay for the astonishing performances.
In the last five years, Matthew McConaughey has had one of the most impressive career turnarounds in decades. British film critic Mark Kermode jokingly used to call him “Matthew Mahogany” because of his wooden, lazy acting in forgettable romantic comedies. However, starting with 2011’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” and continuing with films such as “Magic Mike,” “Killer Joe” and “Mud,” McConaughey has proven that he is not just a greatly improved actor but one of the finest of his generation.
His performance in “Dallas Buyers Club” might be the crowning achievement of his recent “McConaissance.” His character is so cocky and arrogant that he could potentially be hard to watch, but his struggle and McConaughey’s assuredness in the role make him a fascinating character. It’s a relief to see a biopic present a deeply flawed character and keep him that way throughout most of the film.
He quells the homophobe inside himself towards the end and becomes friends with Rayon, but for most of the film, he is a really unlikable guy.
Jared Leto, acting in his first film in four years after touring with his band, Thirty Seconds to Mars, plays Rayon unabashedly. Never does one think of that nonsense of how “brave” it is for a straight actor to play a member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. He completely inhabits the character and gives the broken, tragic character great beauty and strength, even in the face of death.
The film is pretty standard in the way it tells its story, but with such assured performances and a story this strong, it succeeds regardless.
However, although the film is focused on Ron and tells his story, there could have been a little more development of Rayon. Seeing him strictly in connection with Ron only gives a partial portrayal of the character.
In “Dallas Buyers Club,” a rarely dramatized aspect of recent American culture, the AIDS crisis, is explored through a narrow, arresting vision that shows how that horrible disease effects everyone, even those who seem the farthest from its grasp.