Underdeveloped Disappointment

Rating: 5/10 (27 December 2005)

No BROKEBACK breakthrough here. What has bits and pieces of the elements that fully presented could have made this a book-match to THE LAST PICTURE SHOW is a majorly flawed missed chance.
Beautiful scenery/cinematography with Canada as a totally acceptable "Wyoming". Four female actresses who are fine, fine, fine. One well-known actor (Quaid) who is so good he disappears into his role. Solid support from actors in small roles. Some excellent scriptwriting AROUND the main story. And finally, (aside from a handful of moments where the acting "shows")an astounding "what-James-Dean-mighta-been" performance by Heath Ledger. Really and truly, this actor picks up stylistically where Dean left off and develops it further. Amazing!
So what went wrong? No understanding of the central story and its nuances by the scriptwriters and the director. No passion/obsession on display (isn't that what the story is about?) After a wierdly "off" initial sexual encounter, all remaining encounters are staged like warm and fuzzy teenage "puppy love". There is no sense of two adult men caught in the middle of something which is emotionally mysterious and powerful to both
Jake is way out of his element here. He tries hard, but this isn't his territory (see his excellent work in DONNIE DARKO and JARHEAD) Ledger deserves the Oscar for not only doing his (superb)job, but somehow reacting to a not-present-in-this-movie person with whom he is pulled he is pulled into an emotional vortex.
The big issue: for all the trumpeted "breakthrough" of BROKEBACK there is no real risk here, particularly where feelings and emotions BETWEEN actors are concerned. Annie Proulx' story was about a subtle, powerful, and uncategorized encounter between two people who happen to both be men.
What happened?