Strong performances propel this "average" love story, but still over-hyped

Rating: 7/10 (10 July 2006)

Most of the end of the year praise is thrust upon Brokeback Mountain. A love story centering on the secret 20 year relationship between two cowboys, Brokeback Mountain doesn't really deserve all of that praise.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger play Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar, two ranch hand cowboys in 1963 rural Wyoming. Their job is to spend four months in the mountains herding sheep. They find, well, let's just say "an interesting" way to pass the time. They know they shouldn't, but they do anyway, neither one admitting they're gay. They spend the next 20 years meeting in private every couple of months putting a strain on their relationship with each other and with their wives.
The movie isn't a "gay" movie. It's a love story. A romance. Larry David ("Seinfeld", "Curb Your Enthusiasm") wrote a satirical article, I believe for the New York Times, about the movie making him question his sexuality (remember, it's a satirical article). It doesn't It won't make you gay to watch it.
But as a love story, it seems pretty standard. If you look at it as that, as a love story, leaving the whole "gay" thing aside, then it's pretty standard. The Notebook was way better as a love story. I honestly think that the only reason it's getting all the praise is because instead of a man and a woman, it's two men. If it was a man and a woman, no one would look twice at this film.
Heath Ledger deserves a lot of the attention he's getting. He did very well and is certainly a contender for Best Actor. His soulful portrayal of the eternally conflicted Ennis Del Mar. He's completely in love with Jack, and he's able to accept that. But he doesn't think of himself as gay. It makes for a very compelling character.
Jake Gyllenhaal does well as Jack, who is more accepting of his lifestyle than Ennis is, though he doesn't come without his own struggles. While he is more accepting of his lifestyle, he still has to hide it from his wife and everyone else. And that just tears him up. You can see the strain on Jake/Jack's face in the climactic argument, and that proves why Jake Gyllenhaal is one of the top young actors.
The supporting cast is populated by teen queen pin up girls, and they actually get to show off their acting chops. Anne Hathaway as the distant wife of Jack gets high marks for expertly stretching her range out of Disney Princess films and finally playing a character with depth. Michelle Williams leaves Dawson's Creek behind, and comes into her own as Ennis' long suffering wife. I'm thinking a Best Supporting Actress nomination is in her future. ER's Linda Cardellini gets to shine in her brief stint as Ennis' new and then ex-girlfriend.
Ang Lee's direction at least makes up for The Hulk. Was it anything spectacular? Not really. Like I said earlier, it was pretty standard. Nothing spectacular, though the production designer should get a nomination or two for finding some beautiful Western locations to shoot at, and the cinematographer should get some recognition for capturing them.
The script and story, except for it being two men, was just a love story, an average love story.
The real saving grace were the fantastic performances