'Brokeback Mountain' - A Review (Unmarked Spoilers)

LSPoorEeyorick · 12-12-2005, 01:31 PM

I had been psyched up to see this film from the moment I head about it. Ang Lee: one of my favorite directors of the past ten years. Jake Gyllenhaal: not as appealing as Maggie but still, a solid Gyllenhaal. Gay cowboys: my idea of a good time. So you can imagine my disappointment when I didn't like it as much as I wanted to.

GC, LV, you're right: this isn't the treacle of "Trick" or "Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss." (Though I enjoy "Beautiful Thing.") And for that, I am pleased.

It is a fine film. Performances were good, and Ledger's in particular quite surprised me. But it has real problems, and I think that it's critically overrated.

I haven't read E. A. P.'s story, so I can't speak for the adaptation. But I found the stand-alone screenplay-- not the dialogue, but the structural narrative-- to be lacking. Tom pointed out that it shared a problem with Cold Mountain in that we've got to connect and completely feel the power of their relationship before they spend the majority of the rest of the film apart. Fortunately the men had more screen time together than Kidman/Law, but I still feel that it didn't hit me quite deeply enough to sustain itself for the rest of the film. Ennis' nature demands a slow burn to resonate with audiences, and that felt too rushed for me; the lengthy "now we are suffering" part made the film feel lopsided. I understand that others feel differently about that, but it simply didn't hit me at my core.

Entire characters were unnecessary. We understand that the men are struggling with their identities and going through empty connection after empty connection-- we don't need long scenes with Linda Cardellini or Ana Faris to demonstrate it. (That all four female characters were billed alphabetically, those two preceeding the wives, was unforgiveable in my opinion. The wives were excellently portrayed with much more screen time and deserved higher billing.)

I really couldn't get over the aging. Small budget, perhaps, but it doesn't excuse an experienced director like Lee from completely ignoring everything save some sideburns and a farrah wig. I was completely pulled out of the last scene between Ennis and his daughter because she looked to be about three years his junior, not twenty. This is not the mark of a best-picture film.

I felt modestly positive about the film, but mostly disappointed that it wasn't the powerhouse that I wanted to be. In every aspect, I thought that Capote was a stronger film, and I am sorry to see it slip down in the critics' races.

12-12-2005, 01:31 PM	#11
LSPoorEeyorick scribblin' Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: in the moment Posts: 3,872	I had been psyched up to see this film from the moment I head about it. Ang Lee: one of my favorite directors of the past ten years. Jake Gyllenhaal: not as appealing as Maggie but still, a solid Gyllenhaal. Gay cowboys: my idea of a good time. So you can imagine my disappointment when I didn't like it as much as I wanted to. GC, LV, you're right: this isn't the treacle of "Trick" or "Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss." (Though I enjoy "Beautiful Thing.") And for that, I am pleased. It is a fine film. Performances were good, and Ledger's in particular quite surprised me. But it has real problems, and I think that it's critically overrated. I haven't read E. A. P.'s story, so I can't speak for the adaptation. But I found the stand-alone screenplay-- not the dialogue, but the structural narrative-- to be lacking. Tom pointed out that it shared a problem with Cold Mountain in that we've got to connect and completely feel the power of their relationship before they spend the majority of the rest of the film apart. Fortunately the men had more screen time together than Kidman/Law, but I still feel that it didn't hit me quite deeply enough to sustain itself for the rest of the film. Ennis' nature demands a slow burn to resonate with audiences, and that felt too rushed for me; the lengthy "now we are suffering" part made the film feel lopsided. I understand that others feel differently about that, but it simply didn't hit me at my core. Entire characters were unnecessary. We understand that the men are struggling with their identities and going through empty connection after empty connection-- we don't need long scenes with Linda Cardellini or Ana Faris to demonstrate it. (That all four female characters were billed alphabetically, those two preceeding the wives, was unforgiveable in my opinion. The wives were excellently portrayed with much more screen time and deserved higher billing.) I really couldn't get over the aging. Small budget, perhaps, but it doesn't excuse an experienced director like Lee from completely ignoring everything save some sideburns and a farrah wig. I was completely pulled out of the last scene between Ennis and his daughter because she looked to be about three years his junior, not twenty. This is not the mark of a best-picture film. I felt modestly positive about the film, but mostly disappointed that it wasn't the powerhouse that I wanted to be. In every aspect, I thought that Capote was a stronger film, and I am sorry to see it slip down in the critics' races.
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