Surprisingly Good!

Rating: 10/10 (17 December 2005)

My girlfriends told me that this was not going to be a "happy ending" film. I should have gone to see Pride and Prejudice which was playing in the next room, since that was what I was hoping for. We were sneaking out of a company Christmas party to go to the movies. I'd heard of this film as being something about gay cowboys. Out of curiosity as to what the people were raving about, I went anyway and was pleasantly surprised. I left very impressed and glad that I went. I think I want to see it again. But with guys so that we can talk about it after wards. I was expecting swishy cowboys, having read nothing about the film. I imagined limp-wristed, lisping cowboys with plucked eyebrows sneaking into Dolly Parton wigs on the cattle range. I did NOT expect the pure, raw masculinity of the quintessential Marlborough man of few words falling in love with a man and then fighting with "this thing" for the next 20 years. The mainstream entertainment world has given us a view of the funny gay man, the feminine gay man, the cross-dressing man, pathetic gay man, but this is the first time I have seen an honest view of a very masculine gay man and his love for another very masculine man who isn't able to deal well with the very concept of loving another man. Contrary to what some of the negative posters may think, this movie will NOT encourage their sons to become gay or think that being gay is good. If anything, this movie exposes the viewer to the agony of being gay in a world where having a gay lifestyle is reviled or swept under the carpet by those in denial. Had the movie been made about a man and a woman who carried on forbidden love for 20 years, it would have been a re-make of a familiar tale. This beautifully crafted film took a familiar conflict (impossible love) and moved it into a new environment and circumstance that is full of conflict, emotion, and torment. I was impressed because it put together things that I never expected to be put together. It is, I think, the very best embodiment of our rights of free speech and free thinking. For those who crafted this film - I applaud you for your courage, your skill, your creative genius, and your ability to make a film that gives us an honest view into a very contentious aspect of our society and culture. This beautiful film is a work of art. And it was tastefully done. It took me right to the edge of what I find acceptable to watch and no further (Thank God!). For me, a good film's subject does not have to be one that I agree with as a life style choice or one that I find pleasant. But it has to be well-presented. City of God comes to mind as an example of a film that was incredibly beautiful and awful as a subject at the same time. A great film has to hit me over the head and sweep me away with it. This film did it all and then some. Kudo's to all who worked on it! And if you can't stand the idea of watching "gay cowboys", go see this anyway, but don't take the kids. It's for real grown-ups only. Just let your eyes blur over the one love scene at the beginning. That's the only part that made me squirm. You'll be OK with the rest. Don't worry, none of the sheep has a bad experience except the one that gets eaten by the coyote. Enjoy the scene at Thanksgiving. Our audience cheered. And take a hankie. You might have to dab at your eyes.