Without a doubt, one of the best career turnarounds in recent film history comes from Matthew McConaughey. After debuting in cinema as the high school pervert in Richard Linklater’s “Dazed and Confused” (1993) and the rookie lawyer in “A Time to Kill” (1996), the up-and-coming actor began leading romantic comedies alongside the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Kate Hudson for a decade. Just when it seemed like the movie star had fully sold out, Ben Stiller and William Friedkin salvaged his reputation with “Tropic Thunder” (2008) and “Killer Joe” (2011).
Last year brought him his most success yet including Jeff Nichols’ “Mud,” Jean-Marc Vallée’s “Dallas Buyers Club” and Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street.” The second one already is scoring McConaughey a handful of awards for the second feature and currently in the lead of the Oscar race. Nine months after Steven Soderbergh’s “Side Effects,” Vallée’s “Dallas Buyers Club” is the second film this year to blast the medical business. “Side Effects” was a fictional, contemporary set film about the abuse of prescription medication; “Dallas Buyers” is based on a real moment in time when hospitals were giving AIDS patients a less-reliable drug for treatment for them, while denying them the superior, unapproved medicine.
In 1985, Dallas womanizing cowboy and cocaine addict Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) wastes his time gambling, partying too hard and as an amateur rodeo rider. He is suddenly admitted to the hospital after an electric shock at his construction job, only be told he has HIV and a month left to live. Determined to stay alive and beat the illness, Ron teams with a transgender AIDS victim named Rayon (Jared Leto) to trade and sell their own supply of foreign medication from Mexico and Asia. That is until the FDA is out to bring them down.
Jennifer Garner plays a local doctor who wants to help Ron medically and personally, while Griffin Dunne and Steve Zahn also co-star as supporters of Woodroof’s fight. McConaughey isn’t the only one getting attention this award season with his tour-de-force performance; Leto has won almost every Best Supporting Actor category that exists in the last two months. He is the definition of a scene-stealer, even if his character adds little to the actual plot. Garner is also refreshing as Woodroof’s female counterpart, and is actually the film’s most understated and underrated aspect.
Vallée, most famous for the period piece “The Young Victoria” (2009), moves up to a little more modern setting. He makes use of some effective quick cuts and almost painful ringing sound effect for whenever Ron feels sick, to give the audience an idea of how uncomfortable he is throughout the whole film. “Dallas Buyers Club” now joins “Philadelphia” (1993) as one of the essential films to portray and inform audiences of the terror of living with HIV/AIDS.
mbianco@durangoherald.com. Megan Bianco is a movie reviewer and a graduate of Cal State University, Northridge, where she studied film criticism and screenwriting.
Dallas Buyers Club
Focus Features presents a film directed by Jean-Marc Vallee. Written by Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Jennifer Garner, Denis O’Hare, Steve Zahn and Griffin Dunne. Running time: 117 minutes. Rated R (for pervasive language, some strong sexual content, nudity and drug use).
“Dallas Buyers Club” is playing at the Animas City Theatre and at Gaslight Cinemas.
