Gotta Give 'em Hope

Rating: 8/10 (30 November 2008)

Greetings again from the darkness. Bio-Drama based on the political rise of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to office, is much more than that. It is a reminder of just how ridiculous and closed minded the establishment was just 30 short years ago. Seeing Anita Bryant brought back some scary memories and reminds us just how important it is to understand an issue PRIOR to passing judgment.
Sean Penn turns in yet another of his seemingly endless top-notch performances. However, this time he is not the brooding, mumbling type ... he is the action-oriented, quick thinking, charismatic leader of the gay movement in the 70's, and he is spot on as Harvey Milk. The film does not portray Milk as a perfect man, but does spend most of the time on his mission to be elected in order to provide a voice for the gay movement.
Excellent support work by Emile Hirsch and James Franco, and Josh Brolin takes on the tough role of Dan Brown, a good man who just couldn't understand why people listened to Milk instead of him. I can't comment on Diego Luna's performance, because it is extremely flamboyant. My guess is that is probably an accurate portrayal of Milk's lover.
Director Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, Drugstore Cowboy) does a masterful job of capturing the feel of the times through sets and a mixture of news footage and other actual video. We get a feel for the cause without dwelling on the discrimination and outright abuse that this group absorbed. While not a documentary, it is a strong recollection of a very explosive time in U.S. history.