It's the way men bond with each other

Rating: 10/10 (16 January 2006)

A few years ago, one of my daughters was accused of liking women rather than men. It seemed like everywhere we went, people would ask us it was true. Of course we denied it every time, but that didn't stop people from asking.
I guess that's why I get so angry when I hear Brokeback Mountain described as a homosexual cowboy movie. It's nothing of the sort. It's just a simple story about a very close relationship between two very manly men.
I understand how people who haven't spent a lot of time around manly men might be confused. The naked grappling, kisses, and love-sodden glances may appear rather unbiblical to those who haven't experienced the kind of male bonding that occurs between cowboys, firemen, barbers and others who work in traditionally male occupations. But naked, Spartan-style wrestling is simply one of the ways men express comradeship with each other--it's like passing gas or punching a shoulder--any spelunking a Spartan-style wrestler's little soldier might do is purely accidental.
Men become very close when they spend time together camping out. This movie depicts that closeness better than anything other movie I've seen. It's like I told to my wife as we were exiting the theater, "You've always wanted to know what my hunting trips were like. Well, you just saw it." Take your wife to see Brokeback Mountain. It'll explain a lot of things to her.