Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

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Dallas Buyers Club (2013) – J.-M. Vallee

There’s the movie made and the movie not made.  Over at the New York Times, A. O. Scott alerts us to the movie not made by director Jean-Marc Vallee, a movie about the real fight to stay alive and the solidarity and spirit of the gay community in response to AIDS.  That would be a good and potentially provocative movie (to some audiences). However, we need to consider the movie made instead wherein a homophobic and redneck straight man becomes an angel of sorts for those suffering from HIV/AIDS by investigating and then illegally importing experimental drugs that the FDA was slow in approving.  That man (the real life Ron Woodroof) is played by Matthew McConaughey, transformed by a 50 pound weight loss into a gaunt sick man.  Jared Leto plays his transgender business partner.  As you know, both won Oscars. If there can be a feel-good movie about AIDS, then perhaps this is it.  Shot on an extremely low budget, it doesn’t show and instead manages to maintain a spirited vibrancy, sense of humour, and righteousness, even though it isn’t the movie not made.