Now Playing: Dallas Buyers Club

Matt McConaughey… when did he grow up?  Dallas Buyers Club has some of the best character performances I’ve seen in quite some time.  McConaughey’s Ron Woodroof and Jared Leto’s Rayon were truly a revelation – what these two men did to their bodies (they must have been on a subsistence diet for at least a month) is one thing; it was their expressions and emotion that took it to another level.  Leto was almost unrecognisable!  Everything (his walk, his voice, his makeup, his stature) was just perfect.

The story was compelling too and one that I think I knew, but didn’t really understand.  The privatisation of our health is such a disturbing trend.  I found it fascinating that things like “buyers’ clubs” could even exist, without it being outright illegal.  I have always found the North American pharma-industry to be unnecessarily biased against homeopathy.  DBC illustrates how Big Pharma hates things like vitamins and peptides, because they’re fairly accessible and easily made into generics.  Can plants and vitamins cure cancer?  No.  But can they make people more comfortable?  If the answer is even sometimes yes, what’s the problem?

Since the duration of the movies takes place in the late 80’s, there’s a parallel story about the AIDS epidemic and the societal implications of such a disease.  The cast of characters playing out that drama is also compelling.

All in all, a great movie.  4 out 5 stars.