Basic plot: Harvey Milk leads the gay rights movement in the 70s and 80s.
I’m not going to spend a lot of time on this because the only kind of politics I really care to discuss on here are more in line with topics like monster mythology and discriminating against other countries for their beer selections. Just to keep things in perspective, I do have a tendency to lean left on a lot of issues (though not all). Gay people don’t bother me at all. Some of the coolest people I’ve ever known are gay, so while I very much don’t swing that way personally, I’m still supportive of it as a reasonable lifestyle choice.
As this year’s Academy Awards would have you believe, Milk is a very good movie. The cast is one of the best ensembles I’ve seen, the script is solid, and the cinematography and editing both tell the story quite well. If you can bring yourself to give a shit about people’s emotions in general – whether they like the cock or not – it’s a considerably motivational journey.
Sure, in the long run, I’m not personally effected by any of the things these people were/still are fighting for, but I know people who are and that was enough to keep me interested. If you’re sheltered enough to have somehow never actually interacted with gay people and have decided to hate them just because they’re different, I don’t have any faith that this movie would convert you. You should probably get out more.
Either way, it’s an educational experience in how far a minority has come powered by excellent actors and a director that knows what he’s doing. If you have even one gay friend, I think you should watch it. I don’t think I’d buy it or rewatch it, but I appreciate what it was going for. It’s undeniably a quality flick.
Oh, but for the record: I think Rourke should’ve beat Penn for Best Actor.
March 31st, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Well said. Mickey Rourke is the balls. I dig Sean Penn too, but he won this year because SAG was behind him, not necessarily because he deserved it.
I really enjoy this film. It starts to wear out its welcome upon multiple viewings (granted, not a lot of time passed between my personal viewings), but I feel like this is one of the best films that has come out in the past year and a half. The thing about this movie and something like Brokeback Mountain is that if you can remain objective then there is a lot to enjoy and learn about in both films.
The script sells it for me, although I do go gay (no pun intended) for Gus Van Sant in general.