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Director: Jean-Marc Vallee
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Jennifer Garner
The story of Ron Woodroof is compelling unfortunately Dallas Buyers Club does not make it engaging. McConaughey does his best to make it as engaging as possible. He is as good as advertised as the homophobic, hard living man who finds out he has HIV and is given thirty days to live. After taking the drugs approved to treat the disease at that time and becoming sicker, Woodroof moves on to unapproved drugs. When they help his symptoms subside he begins the Dallas Buyers Club to help other HIV sufferers get the same drugs that he takes.
My issue with the film is not that it suggests the FDA drags its feet when approving drugs, I am sure there is a lot of truth there. My issue is not that this man would take unapproved drugs and sell them to others. I am sure if I was faced with the same circumstances that I would take whatever I felt helped as well, government be damned. My issue is that this films seems to want to demonize the very people that have continued the good fight and have helped to make the progress that we have against this terrible disease. At the end the film even tells us that the very drug that Woodroof is hell bent against is still used in smaller doses today. The issue is that it words it in a way that makes it seem as if Woodroof had something to do with this. In truth he is portrayed for the entirety of the film as if he would flush the drug down the toilet forever. Dallas Buyers Club is simply disingenuous when discussing the politics behind these drugs and it greatly hindered my enjoyment of the film.
There is some things to like in the film. In addition to McConaughey, Leto is really good as the cross dressing Rayon. Rayon and Woodroof's relationship is interesting and entertaining though at times it is also problematic. Dallas Buyers Club manages to mine quite a bit of entertainment out of a deadly serious subject and should be commended for that. At the end of the day the film is an uneven affair in my opinion. I will remember it for McConaghey's performance and little else.
Director: Jean-Marc Vallee
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Jennifer Garner
The story of Ron Woodroof is compelling unfortunately Dallas Buyers Club does not make it engaging. McConaughey does his best to make it as engaging as possible. He is as good as advertised as the homophobic, hard living man who finds out he has HIV and is given thirty days to live. After taking the drugs approved to treat the disease at that time and becoming sicker, Woodroof moves on to unapproved drugs. When they help his symptoms subside he begins the Dallas Buyers Club to help other HIV sufferers get the same drugs that he takes.
My issue with the film is not that it suggests the FDA drags its feet when approving drugs, I am sure there is a lot of truth there. My issue is not that this man would take unapproved drugs and sell them to others. I am sure if I was faced with the same circumstances that I would take whatever I felt helped as well, government be damned. My issue is that this films seems to want to demonize the very people that have continued the good fight and have helped to make the progress that we have against this terrible disease. At the end the film even tells us that the very drug that Woodroof is hell bent against is still used in smaller doses today. The issue is that it words it in a way that makes it seem as if Woodroof had something to do with this. In truth he is portrayed for the entirety of the film as if he would flush the drug down the toilet forever. Dallas Buyers Club is simply disingenuous when discussing the politics behind these drugs and it greatly hindered my enjoyment of the film.
There is some things to like in the film. In addition to McConaughey, Leto is really good as the cross dressing Rayon. Rayon and Woodroof's relationship is interesting and entertaining though at times it is also problematic. Dallas Buyers Club manages to mine quite a bit of entertainment out of a deadly serious subject and should be commended for that. At the end of the day the film is an uneven affair in my opinion. I will remember it for McConaghey's performance and little else.