Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto are the shining stars of
“Dallas Buyers Club;” so much so that come Oscar nomination time, you’ll find
their names on the list for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. Sympathy for
McConaughey’s real-life character, Texas cowboy Ron Woodroof, is not immediate.
He’s a good ol’ boy, full of profane language, racist and homophobic feelings
and habits that promise an early grave. When he contracts HIV, he starts
importing unapproved drugs, vitamins and proteins to illicitly treat himself
and other AIDS sufferers. Eventually he becomes a hero to the afflicted and
villain to outraged authorities and McConaughey, who lost some 40 pounds for
the role, plays him with a perfect blend of sass and charm. The other hero in
this tale is Woodroof’s transgender sidekick Rayon, played by Jared Leto. Rayon
is a one-man Pride parade in his gaudy attire and by his sheer force of will
and irresistible charm, he moves Woodroof (and all of us) to embrace love and
tolerance. Leto never overdoes the campier elements of his character. Jennifer
Garner is also good as a doctor who risks her career to help Woodroof’s wildly
unorthodox crusade. The movie spans a lot of years, which French-Canadian director
Jean-Marc Vallée handles well,
but I still found it a bit too long.
Given 30 days to live by the doctor (Denis O’Hare) who
delivers the diagnosis, the emaciated Woodroof becomes a self-taught expert who
obtains drugs on the black market. He travels to Mexico another countries for
treatments not then available in the United States. For the next seven years of
his life, Woodroof tirelessly battles with the US medical establishment, which
at the time had approved a single drug, the very expensive and highly toxic
AZT, for AIDS. Woodroof also fights off efforts by the FDA and various other
federal agencies to shut down his illegal, for-profit ‘club’ that provides
unauthorized drugs for free to AIDS-stricken members to pay monthly ‘dues.’
“Dallas Buyers Club is a remarkable story, vividly and urgently told by Vallée
from a script by Craig Borten and Melissa Wallack. 11/3/13
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