Easier to admire than to enjoy

Rating: 7/10 (17 September 2006)

It's going to be very hard to put forth an 'objective' opinion about this film. It has crossed over from being just a movie to a cultural milestone that is regarded and lauded as one of the best love stories out there.
I'm sorry, but I don't think it is.
Despite the strong acting of the leads and the stunning cinematography of Wyoming, the central story felt rushed and incomplete. There was little to no explanation or backstory on why these two felt so strongly for each other. Sure, they had sex, but as many straight and gay people can tell you, that in and of itself doesn't lead to a lengthy relationship where each party pines for the other and awaits their time together. In addition, the movie abruptly jumps forward years in time with nothing more than a cut. Then the ending pops up out of nowhere and felt like a complete tear jerking cheat. I understand what Ang Lee was trying to do, but couldn't he and the screenwriters have come up with something more original than having a character killed off? Personally, I would've found it much more devastating if both parties remained alive, but realized that their dream could not come true due to the outside forces aligned against them. All of this feels like the result of an editor that was too scissor happy. It's rare to say this, but this film needed to be longer. It needed to explore the depths of these characters more than it did.
Now I'm sure that I'm going to be branded as a homophobe by some simply because I didn't think this movie was the greatest film ever, much like disliking "The Passion of the Christ" makes you an atheist. However, I am trying to separate the film itself from the taboos and societal barriers that it broke. As a film that actually depicts a male on male relationship without resorting to stereotypes or cheap comedy, its impact is huge. It's too bad that the film itself just isn't all that great as a piece of pure cinema. I am sincerely hopeful that this film acts as a springboard for mainstream movies to deal openly with this topic. Eventually we may see a 'gay' romance movie that finds all the nuances and depth of character that "Brokeback Mountain" missed.
So, to summarize. This film's release will hopefully user in a new era where homosexual relationships are treated with the same fairness as hetero ones, and the boundary that has been placed between 'traditional' and 'progressive' morality will disappear. But as a film, and judged outside of it's societal impact, "Brokeback Mountain" is an attractive, yet incomplete film that fails to adequately explain why these two grow to care for each other so much that it consumes them alive. It is and always will be remembered as the first mainstream 'gay romance' movie, but this historical fact is not enough to elevate the movie itself above the level of 'well meaning, but flawed'.