two pretty , well dressed cowboys

Rating: 9/10 (21 February 2006)

I thought Brokeback Mountain was great. However, there were some interesting aspects of it that just didn't seem very realistic (maybe they weren't supposed to be). For instance, both guys were supposed to be poor, yet they were wearing very nice, fashionable clothing. I felt like this was some American Eagle commercial with all the nice denim and pretty shirts to match their pants, not to say the jackets. At other times, it almost felt like the movie was some Malboro commercial. It was a much too rough a job and the conditions were much too hard for two such clean cut, pretty boys to be around. Also, I understand that Heath Ledger was supposed to be "a man of few words", but I had a lot of trouble understanding what he was saying, and at many times I felt as if he wasn't doing much of the acting. On the other hand, Jake seemed to be more the main character than Heath Ledger was. He always initiated everything, and seemed to be more of a central character. He also spoke more clearly. But this movie was great for other reasons. First of all, this movie is NOT about gay people. I hope that people who think this movie is purely about 2 gay guys will go see this movie so that they can realize that the love portrayed could equally exist between people of the opposite sex as well.It is about "selfish love", emotional, obsessive, love that makes a mess of things.Surrounded by the despair of the little, ugly towns of America (in those times), the lack of jobs, and the simple, boring lifestyles, the mountain trips provided something completely opposite. Brokeback mountain was beautiful and true and it seemed as if the boys longed for something deep and true, and once they found that, it was hard for them to let go. However touching their story was, it was also marked by tragedy in that they both had to live "double lives" and never could really be with each other longer than a few days. All in all I enjoyed this movie and I recommend it to others. I thought it was carefully made and it got that feeling of loneliness and longing across very well. Afterall, if a movie can invoke such strong feelings about love, or sadness, or lust, or loneliness, then it has achieved its goal and became a great movie that is both believable and sensitive. The scene with the shirts did not impress me as much as it impressed others. The most touching scene in the movie for me was the one when they see each other for the first time in 4 years, and they start kissing right behind the wall. I thought that was a very powerful scene.