Dallas Buyer’s Club

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Jennifer Garner
Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée

Reviewed by Brendan Dousi
[Rating: 4.5/5]

The Academy Awards are upon us! Oscar season is in full swing with what have been dubbed the best films of the year up for all sorts of awards and accolades. This also means, for us lowly Australians, most of the movies are only just starting to come out here because worldwide release dates aren’t usually reserved for the types of movies that garner Oscar Nominations outside of the realms of Special Effects or Set Design. Among these prestigious few is the Jean-Marc Vallée helmed Dallas Buyer’s Club. With multiple nominations including Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Picture, is Dallas Buyer’s Club truly an exceptional film worth all of its praise or does it simply fall squarely into the realm of emotionally manipulative ‘Oscar-Bait’?

Dallas Buyer’s Club is based on the true story of the rough, redneck hustler-electrician Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) who’s happy to cheat, steal and screw his way through life without thinking of the consequences. That is until an accident at work sends him to the hospital where he is then unceremoniously told he is HIV positive and will most likely not live to see the end of the month. From here Woodroof goes through a transformation as he desperately struggles through his own bad habits on top of a load of bureaucratic bull shit to gather together medication that can help him survive. When he learns that the current medication the government is fast-tracking for AIDS victims is potentially toxic, he seeks alternative medication from around the globe to help himself, and being the scoundrel he is, make a profit off of others he can provide the medication to as well. Along the way he finds a sympathetic, and potentially romantic, ear in the form of his ex-doctor Eve (Jennifer Garner) and a potential business-partner and link to the Queer community in the delightfully sassy transgender woman Rayon (Jared Leto).

There were clearly no back-room deals made to get this film on the Oscar Slate, Dallas Buyer’s Club is there because it deserves to be there. It’s a touching, heart-warming, bitter-sweet and life affirming story about a lost man facing his mortality and coming out the other end for the better. It’s an important story about the ever-terrible AIDS crisis from the 80s that claimed so many lives from both the straight and queer communities. A crisis the film handles delicately and expertly, accurately portraying a lot of the stigmas of the dilemma, but also enforcing the sense of community that strengthened from such an ordeal. Something that could have easily been fumbled if the film were in different hands.

Vallée’s direction was competent, to be sure, but it did often feel like the film was great in spite of his direction. Some visuals and camera choices felt clunky and like they didn’t’ add much to the film, while time-cards to show the passage of time were an interesting choice they seemed to just drop off half-way through the film. That said, these are very minor points when you consider the outstanding quality of the stellar screenplay by Borten and Wallack and the immaculate performances from every single actor on screen. Jennifer Garner was delightful as the up-tight Doctor torn between wanting to help her friends and following protocol, but she is definitely over-shadowed by her male co-stars. McConaughey completely transforms himself, both body and soul, bringing to life an often reprehensible man that both disgusts the audience while daring them to root for him. A dare that becomes easier and easier to fulfil as his character transforms under the horrors of his situation. Perhaps even more impressive, Leto became his character. He completely transformed himself into the sweet, endearing, stubborn and heart-breaking character that is Rayon, a damaged Trans-Woman drug-addict also inflicted with the HIV virus. A character that will probably tear at your soul (and tear-ducts) more than any other this year.

While it’s not without its flaws, Dallas Buyer’s Club truly transcends them with the sheer power of the performances and the heart-touching story it has to tell. It’s not often that a film with this much weight to it graces the silver-screen and whether you’re impressed by Oscar Nominations or not, it’s definitely a film that everyone should see.