Dallas Buyers Club Review
RYAN: This is the new movie that began getting Oscar buzz for star Matthew McConaughey even as they started shooting, because he lost so much weight for the role; and you know how the voters love it when a star goes all out for a performance.
CAROLINE: It’s true. He looks sick, which is the point because he’s playing a man dying of AIDS. How was his performance?
RYAN: It’s certainly the best performance of his career and he does deserve a nomination but the best performance in the movie is actually that of Jared Leto. He was brilliant as a tranny.
CAROLINE: Really. He hasn’t gotten as much buzz.
RYAN: He’s beginning to. He really is the scene stealer and literally transforms into this role – even alongside Matt who lost all that weight, Jared is a creation – who acts beyond the makeup and the look. He has a voice and a walk and he lost a lot of weight too but he’s the brighter light in the film.
CAROLINE: He’s been so out of the acting loop for a few years so that’s interesting.
RYAN: Jared has to be a frontrunner for supporting actor. He was just that good.
CAROLINE: Good for him. But Matt was good too?
RYAN: I was actually a bit distracted by how skinny he is for, like, the first twenty minutes of the film. I was almost not paying attention because it’s just so disturbing to look at. Can he act through the weight loss? But then you get over it and he does have a lot to go through as this character – who, by the way, is based on a real person – Ron Woodroof. And aside from Matt’s physicality, his story arc is transformative as well.
CAROLINE: All the ingredients adding up for a nomination.
RYAN: Totally. It will be a snub if he’s not nominated.
CAROLINE: How did you like the movie?
RYAN: It’s an excellent film but frustrating and difficult to watch at times. It deals with homophobia, FDA pharmaceutical politics, and the early crisis of the AIDS epidemic which is a sad time but also interesting to view from today’s perspective where AIDS is more chronic than terminal due to advancements in medicine.
CAROLINE: That’s true. It’s some heavy stuff.
RYAN: It really is but the bottom line is still entertaining. It’s a highly intriguing film with great performances, writing and good pace. The soundtrack and the hair/costumes are all good period too.
CAROLINE: How’s Jenny Garner?
RYAN: Pretty good. She got better as the movie went along. She was trying too hard to play “serious doctor” at the beginning of the movie. I liked seeing her alongside Matt again – they were in the rom com Ghosts of Girlfriends Past together.
CAROLINE: That’s right. This is such a different direction for them than that fluff.
RYAN: Completely.
CAROLINE: I definitely want to see this as one to watch for awards season but it also sounds like a good film.
RYAN: It’s great. It’s serious and tough but about the underdog and survival spirit. And in the case of Ron Woodroof, his fight to survive affected not only his health but his perspective on life overall. It’s a deep film with many layers and implications. Powerful.
