A Gripping, Powerful Film With an Amazing Lead Performance from McConaughey

Rating: 7/10 (23 June 2014)

Dallas Buyers Club is one of those movies that could've easily turned into a schmaltz-fest had it fallen into the hands of a lesser director but thanks to a restrained, low-key style of direction from Jean-Marc Vallee, we get a powerful, gripping drama about the redemption of a man with AIDS. But why does it work? Let's find out!
Dallas Buyers Club tells the true story of Ron Woodwoof, an electrician and rodeo cowboy living a wild, crazy life in 1980's Dallas loaded with drugs, sex, gambling, and rodeo riding. Woodroof is a true Southern man, he is racist and homophobic and is not afraid to show it. It all changes one day, when he is diagnosed HIV+ and has only 30 days left to live. At first, he is in denial about it, but after doing a little research, he starts to believe that he really does have AIDS and tries to seek help at the hospital, only to have Dr. Eve tell him that there's no FDA approved drugs for HIV at the moment. So he bribes a hospital nurse for a drug called AZT to treat his condition but the drug ends up deteriorating his health instead. So he goes to a Mexican hospital where he is treated with two non-approved drugs, ddC and protein peptide T and they actually end up working for him. So he imports these drugs into the U.S. to sell them for other HIV patients.
Even though this has been stated a thousand other times in other reviews, I feel like I still have to say it, Matthew McConaughey is amazing in this film. His arc in the film going from a xenophobic, carefree rodeo cowboy to a caring, compassionate man who wants to help people of all races and sexuality is both touching and believable. He starts out actually quite unlikable in the film with his coke snorting, prostitute banging, money gambling lifestyle where he doesn't seem to give a sh!t about anything in life and has this bigoted worldview around him but throughout the film, we see him slowly change into a different person in a believable way. He develops a friendship with a transsexual named Rayon, he starts giving his drugs out for free(taking in membership fees instead), and starts doing it with CARE for people rather than just out of money. His standout scene is when he breaks down in his car, contemplating killing himself, it's a really powerful scene and towards the end of the film, you really do become attached to this character because of McConaughey's amazing performance.
But McConaughey's performance isn't the ONLY thing that's driving the film, it also has a lot to do with the direction. As stated before, this film easily could've been a schmaltz-fest, but Vallee goes for a very low-key, realistic style of direction that makes the drama have more impact than had if he gone all out with schmaltz. Vallee's direction is very minimalistic, he doesn't tell you how to feel for each scene, he just lets you experience it. There's no sappy score playing in the background, no super dramatic character moments, no emotional speeches, and no scenes that really try to tug at your heartstrings, the emotions in the film are very restrained. When a certain character dies in the film, he just dies. We never see him make any final words to Woodroof or have any character cry dramatically over his body. We DO see how people are affected by this but it's done in a realistic fashion where the tears are rough and angry. This may make the film sound COLD, but it actually makes the film ultimately more touching because it makes you feel like you're really taking a peak into someone's life and not watching a fabricated movie version of it, even though the film is highly fictionalized.
Another strength of the film is the script. A lot of movies featuring characters fighting against a system often portray the authority as very one-dimensional and cartoonishly rotten. Here, the writers were smart enough to treat the story with respect by portraying the authority realistically. They're not mustache-twirling villains, they're simply people who disagree with Woodroof's way of thinking and thinks that only drugs approved by the FDA should be allowed for public use. While we tend to side with Woodroof, the FDA never does anything that makes them really evil and make you hate them. I'm glad the writers didn't divulge into cliché Hollywood stereotypes of authority.
I've already praised McConaughey's performance but the rest of the cast is equally excellent. Jared Leto completely loses himself in the role of Rayon, leaving no trace of the actor behind. Not only does the makeup look convincing on him, he also walks, talks, and ACTS like a real transgender! If someone just came across a sneak peek of this film on their TV, they'd probably think Jared Leto really was a transgender in this film. I've heard a few people complain about Jennifer Garner's performance in this and while I'm generally not a fan of her, she actually does a good job in the film as Dr. Eve. Her conflicts with the system is actually believable and her romance with Woodroof is surprisingly effective. They have good chemistry on screen and their relationship together doesn't deride on silly Hollywood romance clichés.
Overall, Dallas Buyers Club is a gripping, powerful film with an incredible lead performance, restrained yet effective direction, a smart script, and a great supporting cast. 8/10