Unexpectedly, Nothing New... In A Good Way

Rating: 10/10 (9 January 2006)

So I went into this movie with a small thrill at the idea of a movie about two of Hollywood's hottest young stars playing a pair of gay cowboys. I thought that it would be worth the waiting in line because they are so attractive. After the trailer, I didn't expect much; lines like "I wish I knew how to quit you" (from the trailer) seem almost comical when out of context, after all.
I was wrong. I expected to be wowed by the audacity of the filmmakers, but what I found in this movie is something I have seen before: love. In every shot, there is a sense of this enduring, painful, passionate love, something that can be fought but not denied. The actors playing the men are both straight and admitted that some of the more passionate scenes were difficult for them. None of this is detectable to the audience. The story, the setting, and the characters are different, but the love is the same as any other well-done love story can provide. Its shock value should be 0; what was I expecting, after all? I went to the film, looking for cheap thrills, and found something infinitely more profound.
Ledger has been rightfully nominated, and if Gyllenhaal could also be nominated, he should be, too. (Ledger is slightly more the star of the film and is thus nominated; also, with his iffy track record of movies, he likely deserves it more, for proving everyone wrong.) This movie will warm your heart and break it, too -- but you'll come out of the theater feeling like you experienced something. Something not about sex, homosexuality, or even cowboys -- it's the love.