Docudrama held up by strong performances

Rating: 7/10 (22 September 2014)

Matthew McConaughey's strong, vivid characterization supports this film and keeps the interest going, even when the story can't always maintain interest. It's sort of a "one man against the system" tale, and so in that sense the main character, Ron Woodroof, was a type of hero, though also a flawed one (continuing to smoke, drink and abuse drugs even against his doctors' advice). McConaughey's acting is totally convincing and realistic and he deserved his Oscar for it. Jared Leto also won an Oscar, but for most of his scenes I kept wondering why, as it was a minor character without much interest, just part of the background, but later in the film his performance began to stand out. Jennifer Garner is decent as the doctor with strong principles (except for the fact that she almost dates one of her patients). Good points are made about the FDA and its too-cozy relationship with Big Pharma, a huge problem which still persists to this day. Worth watching for McCanoughey's performance.