Matthew McConaughey and Jered Leto in 'Dallas Buyers Club'

My oldest son and I saw the film last night at the Irvine Westpark 8 Cinema.

I've been wanting to see it, and it turns out that McConaughey won the SAG "Best Actor" award and Jared Leto won the SAG award for "Best Supporting Actor. See, "SAG Awards 2014: The complete list of winners and nominees." (More here, "SAG Awards 2014: 'Hustle' cast wins, tightens race to Oscars.")

We went to the 10: 15 showing, and the theater was completely empty except for me and my son. It's fun to have an entire big screen showroom to yourself. I was dancing in the aisles during the preview, lol.

In any case, the film's not for everyone (which helps explain why the theater was empty). It's a very explicit look at the homosexual scene in 1980s Dallas. I personally don't believe the term "homophobe," because the left throws around the word to slur conservatives indiscriminately, but McConaughy's character --- the real-life AIDS patient Ron Woodruff who started the "Dallas Buyers Club" after rejecting the conventional and corrupt AZT drug trials of the day --- is a macho gay-hating cowboy bullrider who nearly partied himself to the grave by the time he found out he'd contracted HIV. But as he interacts with others similarly afflicted --- especially Jared Leto's transgendered "Rayon" --- Woodruff is humanized by the experience and develops a tremendous compassion to help others. It's a great movie, but again, if you're not open minded to cinema as art and performance (and history, in this instance), then it's not going to be for you. (And of course, I don't approve of homosexuality whatsoever, although despite what people might think from blogging, I have never had problems with friends or acquaintances IRL who did the flippy-floppy.)

So, watch it when you get the chance. Jennifer Garner's also in the movie. She's a sweetie.



There's a review, with links, at Contact Music, "Matthew McConaughey Stuns In 'Dallas Buyers Club'."

And FWIW, from Patrick Mulcahey, Puff Ho, "Not Buying Dallas Buyers Club."