I was bored

Rating: 1/10 (24 December 2005)

In 1963 Wyoming two cowboys (Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal) are watching over sheep on a remote mountain--Brokeback Mountain. They grow to know and understand each other--and have sex one cold night. The affair continues until they have to leave. Ledger marries (Michelle Williams) and so does Gyllenhaal (Anne Hathaway). After 4 years apart they get together again...and find they still love each other.
OK for starters--I'm a gay man who is proud to be gay. I didn't dislike this movie because of homophobia (internalized or otherwise). The gay story is what kept me watching in fact. The acting is all good with Ledger a standout. You see his character's pain and confusion and he ages VERY convincingly. Gyllenhaal is good too but not as good as Ledger. The cinematography is beautiful...but I was bored silly. The movie moved VERY slowly and was way too quiet. I lost track of how many times I looked at my watch. Also the love story between the men (which I thought was the main point of the movie) was very subdued and only a small portion of the film. When it gets into the dreary domestic portions I was bored--it was only when Ledger and Gyllenhaal are dealing with their relationship that this movie worked. Also the dialogue was wooden--the actors do their best but there's little they can do with this.
Why this is getting so critically praised is beyond me. And why are Ledger and Gyllenhaal being called so "brave" to play gay men? I don't think anybody would say they were "brave" to play murderers, rapists or killers. As it is they both seem terrified to show any love or emotion. The one sex scene was violent--not erotic and the big kissing scene was almost completely hidden by Jake's hat. However I think the main problem with this film was the director. Ang Lee is a good director--but all wrong for this. He seems too timid to fully address the issue and throws in all these pointless subplots. There's also no need for this film to run over two hours.
I give it a 1. I really can not recommend this film.