Dallas
Buyers Club is a marvelously competent film, both engaging and
inspirational, entertaining yet grounded in the reality of a true story. It is
nearly impossible not to like Dallas
Buyers Club, which is why I have such difficulty expressing my skepticism
in any real point to the film’s narrative. However capable the filmmaking or
flashy the performances may be, the end result of the film’s narrative fails to
strike any cords of relevance beyond the protagonist’s willingness to do
anything to survive. It captures a rare chapter in American history where an
individual attempted, mostly unsuccessfully, to challenge the seemingly
tyrannous monopoly that is the pharmaceutical industry.
Matthew
McConaughey leads the cast as the spitfire cowboy/electrician Ron Woodroof, a
man whose existence is tied into his machismo and ability to bed women. During
a time when the HIV virus and Aids were thought to be a disease primarily
affecting homosexuals, and living in an uncompromisingly bigoted area of Texas
Using any method
or means available, Woodroof struggles to overcome the odds of the disease,
discovering effective illegal treatments along the way. Much of the film
focuses on the battle that Woodroof fights against the hospitals and
pharmaceutical companies which don’t appreciate his unwillingness to allow them
to make all of the rules. While some of this fight seems to make a difference,
it is telling that the drug Woodroof spent much of his time rallying against
eventually became the primarily tool in fighting the disease. This makes
Woodroof’s personal journey of far more significance, specifically in his
relationship with the homosexuals he had always had prejudice against. This
growth happens as Woodroof develops a friendship with a fellow patient, Rayon
(Jared Leto), who helps in the establishment of a buyers club to help disperse
untested and unapproved medications in Dallas
Underneath this
specifically personal narrative and the larger issue of medication choices in
dealing with the HIV virus in the 1980s is a structure which seems
transparently directed at those responsible for deciding who is to receive
awards. Far more significant to the film’s overall experience than the end
result of the story or the themes gathered along the journey are the
performances which carry it to that end. When you have several attractive
actors willing to drastically alter their appearance around award-season, I
can’t help but feel as though I am being pandered to. McConaughey and Leto may
as well be on the street corner begging for an Oscar, though as irritating as I
find this transparency, there is no denying that they would be deserving of the
accolade.
The Blu-ray
combo pack release of Dallas Buyers Club also includes a DVD and digital copy
of the film. The one thing that seems to be missing from this release is an
adequate amount of special features. Despite the certainty of award-season
hype, there is only a simple making-of featurette and a handful of deleted
scenes in the extras.
Entertainment Value:
8.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 8/10
Historical
Significance: 7/10
Disc Features: 4.5/10
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