MYST Post #3: Dallas Buyers Club

For my last MYST post, I decided to watch Dallas Buyers Club because of both Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey. I'm a fan of both of them, both in Leto's music and acting career, and McConaughey's usually romantic acting. I knew this was a different role for him, as he has been cast out of his norm for a while now, so I was excited to see it. Knowing of both their Oscar wins for these roles, I had high expectations. Fortunately, I was not disappointed.

Say what you want about Jared Leto, but I think he is phenomenal. There are few that would have been comfortable playing Rayon, the gay cross-dresser who also has AIDS. You can barely recognize Leto because of the amazing make-up work done on his face to make him look more womanly and by the clothes that include tight dresses and tights. (See Left and Below) There is, of course, the tremendous weight loss he endured for the role which also has an impact on the overall look. I came across many who said they were uncomfortable watching Leto, whether it be because of the role or because of the appearance. I, however, had the opposite reaction. I thought he was beautifully crafted as Rayon and that the make-up Robin Matthews did was well deserving of the Oscar she received as well. Without the make-up or Leto's soul in the performance, it would not have made the same impact on the movie as a whole as it did.

Besides the make-up, what really struck me was how they structured the movie: in numbering the days since Ron (McConaughey) had been diagnosed. You begin to view things in a different light by seeing how drastically he turned his life around from Day 1 to Day 2000 and so on. With the days, his personality and habits change as well. You see him go from an unhealthy homophobe to someone who is conscious about what he eats with a gay man who identifies as a woman as his best friend. Not going to lie, the first time they hugged I had tears in my eyes. The breakdown of the days make it easier to track his progress as a person and as someone with AIDS. We see the ups and downs up to his final days. This structure was unlike anything I had seen before, and I enjoyed it and thought it brought more to the movie than any other set up would have.

The hype for this movie is well-deserved and so were the Oscars. It is obvious through both actors acceptance speeches that this movie meant a lot to them and that they care about the issue. Leto even wore a red bow tie, the color for AIDS, to the Oscar's. Regardless of whether you not you have any connection to an AIDS patient or to the disease at all, Dallas Buyers Club is worth the watch, and you will not regret it at all.

I give this movie a 5/5.