If you read my review for The Lego Movie, you will know that I was very keen to see Dallas Buyers Club instead. As it was I got to see it the very next day so it wasn't a long wait. As a fan of Mr McConaughey (in more serious roles such as A Time To Kill and Mud), I was very keen to see this film that he championed for so long and for which he made major - Christian Bale style - changes to his physical appearance, along with co-star Jared Leto.
The film tells the true story of rodeo electrician, Ron Woodroof (McConaughey), a man who likes nothing more than betting on bull riding cowboys, having sex with women in the stands behind the bullring, and taking as much coke and alcohol as his body can handle. That is until his body tells him no more. He collapses, and when he awakes in the hospital he is given the prognosis that he has HIV and will be dead within 30 days. Being the kind of pigheaded man that he is, he simply tells the doctors that there is nothing that can kill him within 30 days and he storms out of the hospital. It's everything that happens after this point in the film that changes your mind about this man and makes you root for him. And to find out what that is, you will have to see the film because I don't want to spoil a single minute.
Dallas Buyers Club made me laugh, it made me cry, but most importantly, for me at least, it succeeded in showing me a man who by all accounts is pretty much a total jerk, he's rude, he's obnoxious, he's homophobic, he takes recreational drugs and has casual sex, and it made me care about him and what happened to him. Martin Scorsese take note, this is how it's done.
The characters in Dallas Buyers Club may not be perfect, but they are all the more rich for it. Their story touches you because of the lengths they go to in order to just stay alive, in order to give their lives some meaning. In order to love and be loved in return. McConaughey is superb, drawing the audience in, making you wonder why you should give a damn what happens to Ron Woodroof, and then turning the tables so flawlessly that you don't even realise when it was you started to care, you just know that you do. He is only as good as his supporting players of course, but thankfully he has a cast of more than competent actors backing him up, Jennifer Garner, Steve Zahn and Dallas Roberts, to name but a few of the talented individuals who have small but substantial roles. The shining star of the supporting cast is Jared Leto, who gives a performance the like of which I have never seen from him. He is simply stunning.
I only hope that after McConaughey and co have shown how good they can be when given such fantastic material, they will continue to search for roles like this, and be given the opportunity to make films with meaning and heart. It's an absolute travesty that this film missed out on being nominated at the Bafta's, don't you miss it too. 9.5 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 9th February 2014
UK Release Date - 7th February 2014
Cast Overview:
Ron Woodroof ~ Matthew McConaughey
Eve ~ Jennifer Garner
Rayon ~ Jared Leto
Dr Sevard ~ Denis O'Hare
Tucker ~ Steve Zahn
David Wayne ~ Dallas Roberts
Director ~ Jean-Marc Vallee
Writer(s) ~ Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack
