How to Survive an Epidemic

Rating: 7/10 (17 December 2013)

Matthew McConaughey is currently giving the performance of his career in "Dalls Buyers Club."
And while that may not be saying much, since McConaughey's career hasn't exactly been an example of acting genius, I should add that his performance is impressive in any context, not just in relation to his own resume. He plays Ron Woodroof, a man who was diagnosed with AIDS in 1985 and given a month to live and decides to take his treatment into his own hands when he begins to gather evidence that AZT, which was being pushed hard by the FDA as THE big AIDS drug at the time, does more harm than good. He opens up a "buyers club," in which people with HIV can enroll for a $400/month membership, including access to an alternative drug cocktail. In this way, Woodroof hovered just outside the boundary of legality, because though he acquired the drugs illegally, he wasn't technically selling them. He was selling memberships, and the drugs were a perk.
"Dallas Buyers Club" can't escape that syndrome common to many movies that are based on true stories -- the screenplay feels written to hit all of its marks and cover all the basic facts rather than to explore characters, themes or dramatic possibilities. If the subject matter is engrossing enough, this doesn't necessarily have to be a drawback (last year's "Argo," for instance). The subject matter of "Dallas Buyers Club" is certainly interesting, but it didn't have a lot of relevance for me personally. I was 10 in 1985 and the AIDS epidemic isn't something that impacted me or anyone I know personally. The film tries to beef up its universal relevancy by implicating the FDA in general and its focus on making money rather than on protecting the public. But that storyline is only one of many the film charges through to make sure it crosses its "T"s and dots it "I"s.
But still, it's a very good movie, and the accolades the cast is receiving are well deserved. Along with McConaughey, Jared Leto is excellent as a wayward transvestite, and Jennifer Garner, who no one is talking about, is quite good as well as a doctor who has misgivings about her own industry's practices.
Grade: A-