Couldn't Take My Eyes Off It

Rating: 10/10 (31 March 2014)

From the opening scene, watching Matthew McConaughey show his chops as the emaciated rodeo cowboy who finds out he has AIDS, I couldn't take my eyes away from this movie. Of course, it's not because it's fun to watch. The development of his character as he parades his homophobia to where he is made to realize what gay people face every day, particular in a historical context at the height of the epidemic that shook the world. There is a personal and a social justice issue portrayed here. The villains here are the federal agencies. Unfortunately, Hollywood does tend to single out someone or something to direct it disdain. In reality, when faced with this epidemic, there was a lot of confusion as to how to treat it and while it is sad that they stood in the way of approval of some drugs, they really did have a job to do. Desperate people do desperate things. But oversight really was necessary. That said, it doesn't matter. McConaughey's performance, along with that of Jared Leto, make this one of the most intensely character driven movies I've ever seen.