DALLAS BUYERS CLUB... 3.3****

 

       It’s not unusual for an actor  to alter their physical appearance for a movie role.  Regardless of the transformation what really matters is the performance and the character. In “Dallas Buyers Club”, we actually get two incredible transformations that lead to two stunning performances.
Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto each lost approximately 40 to 50 pounds for their respective roles as Ron Woodroof, a rugged,redneck, ultra-macho, alcoholic/drug-addicted electrician/rodeo bull-riding  playboy; and Rayon, a sensitive, street-savvy, would be transsexual so desperate for a kind word. Their physical appearance will startle you more than once and is quite effective in showing  the ravishes of those infected with HIV virus in the 1980's. Both are superb in their roles and should get Oscar nominations

 

The movie is based on a true story and a real life guy (Woodroof) who became a most unlikely beacon of hope for AIDS patients. Woodroof fought the medical industry, drug companies and the government (FDA, DEA, IRS) for the right to treat oneself with whatever medicines were available in the world. It's impossible to miss the message that most of the drug companies may have the goal of increasing profits rather than curing the deadly disease.

 

Until recently, Matthew McConaughey's body of work was just that, a body that worked well on the screen for so many of the aimless romantic/comedies in which he played the lead.  In 2011, McConaughey was the lead “ The Lincoln Lawyer” and this year the lead in “Mud”. In both McConaughey was finally able to flex some of his acting muscles as opposed to abdomen muscles., McConaughey has reinvented his career and is now being  casted as a serious actor with serious acting skills. McConaughey and his Texan accent were  a match made in heaven for his role as the slowly weathering and dying HIV/AIDS patient  Woodruff.

 

Dallas Buyers Club is a  heavy-hitting drama with lasting effects. Dramatizing the social discrimination of gays in the South and the condition of many low-income  American residents, the film raises the question of whether or not AIDS/HIVS and other fatal diseases are fairly treated by government  and whether the main goal of the powerful drug companies is wealth  or health.

 

Rated “R” for pervasive bad language, some strong sexual content/nudity and drug use.

 

Clark