Dallas Buyers Club

A Partially Educated Review of Dallas Buyers Club

In which the McConaissance is proven to be more than just a flash in the pan

If, three years ago, you had presented me with a film that stars Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto and Jennifer Garner, you'd have probably witnessed my sanity consciously uncouple from the rest of me. To be honest, I still balk at anything which involves the walking God complex that is Mr Leto. It's an issue that can be traced all the way back to a traumatic event in my life that occurred at Manchester Central on the 4th of December, 2010: the day I saw 30 Seconds To Mars live.

All jokes and mental scars aside, I can, in all honesty, say that I went into Dallas Buyers Club with an open mind. Of course, the hype helped, but so too did the facts that I both wanted to see the film and that McConaughey already won me over a few years ago with The Lincoln Lawyer. Also, bar Garner's two turns as Electric Nachos, I can't think of anything she's done of particular disgrace. Leto was the hardest one to clear my mind on, but that was just something I needed to get over. It didn't take long though, because he is every bit as good as the multitude of awards that he was won would suggest. In fact, all three of them are and there's a reason why the performances have been the primary focus of any and all reviews. It's because they are, by far, the film's strongest asset.

As far as McConaughey is concerned, I struggled to see how anyone could have warranted Best Actor awards over Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years A Slave, but reserved judgment until seeing Dallas Buyers Club. While I don't necessarily think McConaughey's performance is better than Ejiofor's, I have no desire to start comparing them in an attempt to prove whose was better. It just seems a bit pointless when they're both as good as this. Throughout the course of the film, Ron Woodroof goes through a much bigger character change than any of the others. He's the main character, so that's to be expected, but McConaughey is able to seamlessly transition from bravado one moment to breaking point the next, nailing every stage and fluctuation between them.

For Leto, there's a subtlety that he creates within his performance that only runs at odds with the appearance of his character because it needs to. Without it, the performance would have become more about Leto portraying a transsexual, but instead he has (rightfully) focussed on portraying a human being. Rayon is the film's voice of reason, instilling the bits of humanity in McConaughey that the contraction of HIV hasn't managed to. In addition, any pathos that the film provides comes mostly as a result of Leto's character, but this is not done in an overly manipulative way. Instead, it's achieved through the very human way in which the film is laid out. There's no sweeping score here to tell you how to feel because it isn't required.

Finally though, we have Jennifer Garner, someone who I've made particular note of mentioning because the quality of her two co-stars' performances has left her to be a bit of a side note when it comes to praise. This is the best role I have ever seen her in. You may snort and point out that the competition for her performances isn't exactly strong, but I don't mean this praise in a "most improved" kind of way. I mean it in a "bloody good job" kind of way. Her character isn't as fleshed out as the other two, but this doesn't stop her and, for the first time in (I think) ever, she completely held my attention beyond simple competency.

The only problem with the performances is that they are better than the film they are in. I don't mean that as if to say that Dallas Buyers Club is a bad film. It isn't. It is a very good film; at times, excellent. It has two problems though. The first is that it's never surprising. I'm not suggesting they should have taken liberties with the story, but there is nothing within this that will leap out at you or surprise you. The second issue is that it seems to think it's message is a lot more revolutionary than it actually is. The transgressions committed and ignorance shown towards people with HIV and AIDS was awful and not something that I am going to pretend to even have half of the knowledge about that others will. That said, it doesn't take an extensive knowledge to know that treatment of the disease has improved greatly and we are now leaps and bounds beyond the level that we were at 30 years ago. In condemning past errors, any comment on where we are at with the disease today seems missing and, as a result, the film feels more like an historical document than anything else. Certainly, the film's portrayal of homosexuality and the intolerance around it ring truer to today, but it's comments on HIV feel firmly rooted in the 80's and 90's.

Despite this, Dallas Buyer Club is still a great film, just one that is designed for performances. In pushing these to the front and keeping them as the focus, it's putting his strongest hand out there for everyone to see. McConaughey's past has been forgiven a long time ago. I'm also interested to see if Jennifer Garner can capitalise on her successes here. Finally though, while I may not be quite able to forget the 4th of December, 2010, I might be warming to Jared Leto.

Emphasis on the MIGHT!

FOUR out of five