You will feel uplifted by the film's portrayal of the indomitable human spirit. Go for it.

Rating: 9/10 (10 April 2016)

This is a difficult film to watch, as the subject matter is very grim and it hails back to those scary, depressing years of the mid- eighties when people across the world were dropping like flies with alarming frequency, after contracting HIV-AIDS. Although there is still no absolute cure for AIDS, significant medical progress has been made since those terrible years and these days many people with access to the latest drugs are able to live almost normal lives for many years, and have pretty much normal life-spans.
The film is based on the true story of Ron Woodroof, a Texan homophobic electrician, and rodeo performer, who contracted AIDS in the early 80's. He was given thirty days to live by a local hospital but succeeded in remaining alive for seven more years by illegally importing and taking unapproved drugs. Along the way, he starts the Dallas Buyers Club, which is a device by which he is able to provide illegal drugs to fellow sufferers free of charge in return for paying a club membership fee. He also modifies his homophobic attitude and he strikes up a close friendship with a transvestite who becomes his business partner.
Rumbling along in the background of this tale is Woodruff's battle with the authorities, particularly the FDA, who have serious objections to his drug buying and distribution activities and continually battle to shut him down, put him in jail and deprive him and others of drugs that can clearly prolong their lives. It has taken more than 20 years to bring this story to the screen, which is hardly surprising, given the seemingly unappealing storyline. When it finally went into production, it had a scant budget of only $5.5 million and the entire film was shot in a mere 25 days.
Yet this low-budget film that was put together in less time than it takes most film producers to choose their cast has so far grossed $27million in the USA as at April 2014 and no doubt continued to put countless more 'bums on seats' in the following months. It garnered 6 Oscar nominations and won three, including Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.
Dallas Buyers Club is a shining example of one of my favourite hobby-horses - that Hollywood doesn't need to spend obscene amounts of money to make good, successful films – but that's an argument for another day. In my opinion, Dallas Buyers Club succeeds because, in spite of the deeply depressing subject matter, it tells the story of a man who refuses to meekly accept his predicted demise, and rails against the bureaucracy and authorities who would have him pass away quickly and without a fuss. By taking things into his own hands, he not only prolongs his own life, but also those of his fellow sufferers. It is a classic David and Goliath story: a dying, badly educated, Texan hick, against the might of the American government.
But none of the above would have made the film stand out from the crowd if it wasn't for the quite extraordinary performance in the lead role by Mathew McConaughey. It really is a 'tour de force.' Not only did McConaughey look the part, (he lost so much weight that he must have been in imminent danger of collapsing from malnutrition), but he positively acted his hind teeth off.
In my personal opinion, I did think that the portrayal of Woodroof's extreme and outrageously homophobic behaviour at the start of the movie was a bit over the top. If we accept the fact that he was a bigoted, ignorant Texan, it just didn't ring true (to me) that such an intolerant homophobe could dramatically change his ultra-extreme views in such a short space of time – even given the unique circumstances. To my surprise, after I had seen the movie, I found that my views are indeed valid.
Amongst others, there is an article in The Dallas Morning News, commenting on the accuracy of the film, which states that:
"people who knew him said that he was not homophobic While Woodroof was known for outlandish behaviour, according to those who knew him both the film and McConaughey made him rougher than he actually was, describing him as "outrageous, but not confrontational" and not as obviously homophobic earlier in his life."
The opening scenes, in which Woodroof is mind-bogglingly abusive towards gays and the gay community, are amongst the most uncomfortable to watch in the whole movie. I can kind of see the justification in showing a dramatic contrast between his original homophobia with his later, more moderate behaviour, but I do think it is a shame that this aspect of the story is patently untrue. It seems to have been a cynical ploy to get more bums on seats. This is my only criticism, as the film romps along at a good pace and holds your interest throughout, so if you think this is the kind of dramatic movie that might tickle your fancy, then you could do a lot worse than Dallas Buyers Club.
It is well directed, beautifully acted, (not only by McConaughey, but also by the rest of the much-talented cast), and although you suspect the final outcome, it doesn't detract from a genuine desire to know how it all goes down. You will empathise with the victims of this dread disease and most viewers will feel uplifted by the film's portrayal of the indomitable human spirit.
Go for it!