Brokeback Mountain is only a novelty

Rating: 4/10 (1 March 2006)

I must say, being a gay male in my middle 30's, wanting to see this movie was such a highlight; however, I suffered such disappointment. The film (as did the book) did not fully help the viewer understand the characters. I was completely lost during the first sexual encounter. It set gays back a hundred years. Dismissing that as a lustful event, I waited to see if things got better. The characters were transparent and I wanted them to relate better toward each other. There weren't any romantic moments other than when they were in the hotel room. I felt as though I missed a huge chunk of "something." I wanted the story to develop more. The ending, though it tried, taxied on the runway for what seemed like hours. Yeah, Jack kept Ennis' shirt. It could have been impacted more by a flashback scene or dialogue of what Ennis was thinking in his head. Instead, we saw the shirt. I still want to like this movie since it is the only current representation of gays that everyone is talking about, but I also feel that if this movie wins Best Picture then it will feel safe to say that Hollywood is blind.