Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with Mirajeff's take on a couple of flicks. First up is BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN... A film I am really looking forward to, however the trailer they cut is extremely crappy. Not the footage... I think it looks like a very pretty film and the acting looks top notch... but the way they cut the trailer is almost spoofy. At least that was the impression I got. Here's MiraJeff on Ang Lee's BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN followed by his look at the Ryan Reynolds comedy JUST FRIENDS. Enjoy!
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Greetings AICN, MiraJeff here with a review of Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain, a film that is, if anything, very difficult to review. I’ll answer the tough questions first. Is it a good film? Yes, and perhaps a great one. Is it an absolute must-see? Yes, but it thinks it’s a little better than it really is, and it’s gonna have a hell of a time lassoing that highly coveted adult male audience. Is it Oscar-worthy? Yes, but no matter how liberal the Academy is, I see a handful of nominations and not too many wins. Ang Lee and cinematographer Rodrigo Pietro are both amazingly talented filmmakers, and both should be recognized for their strong work here. The screenplay seems like a shoo-in to be nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, as Larry McMurty and Diana Ossana complement Annie Proulx’s heart-wrenching short story with a layered screenplay full of complex characters and poetic dialogue. Ledger could even sneak into the Best Actor category if voters don’t get sick of him after Casanova. This is by far the best performance of his career. Jake Gyllenhaal is equally as good, but if he’s given any attention it may be for his showier role in Jarhead. Do we see Heath and Jake have sex? Yes, but just briefly, and with clothes on. Heath was on top, in case you were wondering. Did I cry? Yes, that damn music from Gustavo Santaolalla really hit a nerve, especially during that tearjerker ending. How was the help? The cowboys are ably supported by strong performances from four beautiful, talented actresses, including Anne Hathaway, Linda Cardellini, and Anna Faris. However, its Michelle “Mrs. Ledger” Williams, who steals the spotlight as a wife burdened with the knowledge that her husband doesn’t love her. Hathaway is also impressive as she subtly works her charms on Gyllenhaal, though her rich girl from Texas act grows weary by the end. But as for the beginning…
The film opens in Signal, Wyoming in 1963, with Jack Twist (Gyllenhaal) introducing himself to Ennis Del Mar (Ledger) after learning they’ll be spending the winter together working as sheepherders for rancher Joe Aguirre (Randy Quaid) on Brokeback Mountain. Both men come from broken homes and lousy fathers, and both are filled with a quiet emptiness that cannot be described in mere words. Instead, the haunting images of Midwestern tranquility and male loneliness speak for themselves. The lush photography serves the film’s emotional arc perfectly. With no one else to talk to during those cold mountain nights, the two forge a close friendship. While the sexual tension between them is subtly hinted upon, it’s not until Jack acts on his forbidden impulses that we actually see the friendship evolve and become a much more precious relationship. As for the sex scene, I was afraid this film was going to have an agenda to present a homosexual relationship in a very PC-light. I think there is a prevalent stereotype in this country that people think that homosexuals are quick to have sex with each other. That is obviously, completely untrue, but heading into this film, I was worried Jack and Ennis would take their time courting each other, and then give into their uncontrollable feelings in the third act. Which is why I loved that Ang Lee shows us Jack and Ennis’ physical connection at its most intense right up front, having their first intimate encounter include intercourse. Because the audience is in the theater, anxiously awaiting that scene. And by giving it to us up front, Lee can then safely move away from it to focus on their emotional connection and how their hearts, not loins, are tested over a period of over 20 years.
While the sex scene is sure to become a favorite in some circles, the energy the two actors give off suggest something more appropriate in a wrestling match. Jake makes the first move, and while Ledger is apprehensive at first, his hesitation becomes an afterthought as they proceed to tear off their clothing and aggressively grab at one another, like they’re the only good thing each of them has in the world. It’s a relationship that no one can touch, not even their future wives. Which is why it’s a bit surprising the next morning when Ennis and Jack make sure to rebuff any idea that they might be gay. And later, we see Ennis vomiting on the side of the road after parting ways with Jack for the spring. He’s sick to his stomach because he knows there is no acceptable place in society for what he feels in his heart. We’re aware of how Ennis feels about “coming out” because we flashback to his father showing young Ennis the castrated body of a homosexual, left for dead in a ditch. The image strikes the audience just as hard as it does Ennis, and personally it brought to mind the memory of Matthew Shepard.
Because society is largely homophobic, Ennis never fully commits himself to Jack. He always seems to have that fence around him, largely because he knows they’ll never be able to live the life they want in such a hostile environment. That’s why Brokeback Mountain is the only place their relationship can thrive, because its isolation accepts them. It’s no surprise why Ennis is so quick to leave his family behind for those precious few weekends a year with Jack. Those weekends where he can be the person he truly is inside. They keep returning every year because, as Jack puts it, “Brokeback got us good, don’t it?” And yet, as often as Jack mentions it, Ennis knows that no good can come of them living together. He even says, “if you can’t fix it, you’ve gotta stand it.” I did think it was a bit weird how often Jack and Ennis refer to their relationship as “it,” or “this thing.” It’s almost as if they’re keeping a secret between themselves.
As years pass, Jack and Ennis get married and have kids, but starting a family doesn’t replace their uncontrollable feelings for each other. When they meet back up several times a year disguised as ‘fishing buddies,’ Ennis admits “there ain’t no reins on this one.” Later, Jack laments, “there’s never enough time.” It seems he’s wearing thin pretending to be happy with his family, while every waking moment apart from Ennis feels like an eternity. He isn’t satisfied with a relationship that consists of “a few high-altitude fucks a year.” The pair begins to visit tawdry motels with their not-so-secret relationship, and the film tips its cap too early, letting Ennis’ wife in on it, so we know it won’t be long before Ennis’ family life is disrupted. After getting divorced and experiencing loneliness again, Ennis finally realizes what he has in Jack, but by then it’s too late.
The material in Brokeback Mountain, a story propelled by images and the words left unsaid, is ripe for an actor’s showcase and both leads come through with undeniably strong performances. This is a career-saving role for Heath Ledger. Ennis Del Mar is the first character he’s played who grabs you by the throat and looks you in the eye. It’s scary. Watching him threaten two bikers who won’t stop cursing in front of his family, as July 4th fireworks go off in the sky… he’s perfect. Even as a man who barely moves his lips when he speaks, as if he’s afraid to share any part of himself, Ledger gives one of the year’s most daring performances. He picks his moments carefully, and his chemistry with Gyllenhaal is unusually strong. Gyllenhaal too, appears like we’ve never seen him before. Jack Twist is like the opposite of Anthony Swofford. Here, he shows range he’s never pulled off before. He’s as comfortable playing a swaggering Texas cowboy as he is nuzzling beside Ledger, staring up at Ennis with those puppy dog-sad eyes of his.
In the end, the film teaches us that it’s better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all. While the pace slows down a bit in the third act, and the story ends without a full sense of closure, the end is by far the most moving part of this film. The steely glaze in Ennis’ eyes as he smells Jack’s left-behind clothing moved me to tears, and touched me in a way no on-screen romance has this year. Brokeback Mountain is billed as a revolutionary love story, appropriate for times like these, which are a-changin’. It captures the feeling of falling in love, and it’s by far the most touching love story of the year. Hats off to everyone involved in this brave production and to all you readers, I’ll be back with lots more in the coming weeks, including a couple cool interviews. Mark your calendars for December 9th and ‘til then folks, you’ll just have to wait.
JUST FRIENDS
Greetings AICN, MiraJeff here with a surprisingly positive review of Just Friends. The fourth Ryan Reynolds film in less than a year may prove to be his biggest hit. If anything, it’s definitely his most accessible. Reynolds stars as Chris Brander, a smooth-talking record executive who returns to his childhood home in New Jersey after his flight to Paris with pop culture sensation Samantha Jones (Anna Faris) is forced to land due to weather conditions. Which means, that’s right, it’s the holidays! Which not only makes the excessive zaniness in this script understandable, but instantly relatable if you’re from my family. I also think everyone can find a piece of themselves in Chris Brander. The film begins ten years earlier, with Reynolds wearing a 40 lb. fat suit lip-synching to All-4-One’s “I Swear.” Drooling from his retainer and wearing what looks like a missing wig from that It’s Pat sketch, Reynolds’ earns Sherman Klump-sized laughs that would put Big Momma to shame. As a graduating high school senior, it seems our hefty hero is in love with his BFF Jamie Palamino (Amy Smart). When she rejects his romantic advances, he skips town for ten years and comes back with a revamped image. The ugly duckling who was once stuck in “The Friend Zone” eventually becomes a good-looking albeit jaded cat on the prowl for “The Anger Bang.” Chris is the embodiment of the one-night stand type of guy. He’s one of those maybe I’ll call you back kind of guys.
Reynolds brings his trademark quick tongue and animated physical gestures to the role and his sense of comic timing is brilliant. He may rely on his gift for physical comedy and Jim Carrey-esque faces too much, but for once the screenplay takes advantage of his strengths and plays to them. I thought he was good in Waiting… but that was more of an ensemble film, and here, Reynolds has the screen time to really win the audience over and shine. Director Roger Kumble lets his cast have fun, and the room he gives Faris to experiment with improvisation allows her to steal the movie along with Chris’ slap-happy younger brother Mike (Christopher Marquette). Marquette, who was so good as Eli in The Girl Next Door, gives the definitive performance of an annoying younger brother.
Chris Klein is the fifth piece of the puzzle and has his funniest role in years as Dusty Dinkleman, an acne-plagued nerd who grew up to be a heartthrob musician/EMT worker. Klein acts like he’s the coolest thing since Paul Rudd here, and I love the sheer cockiness he brings to the role. One of the most noteworthy scenes involves an impressive set piece in which Samantha drives the Brander family Volvo onto the Palamino’s front lawn, igniting a fire, ripping Santa off the roof, and destroying their eye-popping Christmas display.
I’d like to echo my colleague Massawyrm’s review, in which he basically admits that Just Friends isn’t a movie we’re supposed to like, but we still do, largely because its genuinely funny. This isn’t one of those movies where all the golden nuggets are in the trailer. In fact, the trailer doesn’t do Just Friends justice at all. Reynolds is as charming as he was in Van Wilder. Ever since Varsity Blues and Road Trip, Amy Smart has embodied the unattainable girl of our adolescent dreams, and she’s immensely likable here. Anna Faris is hilarious as an egotistical diva, and her scene with the toothpaste is hysterical. Just Friends capitalizes on its talented young cast and makes the most of its comedic opportunities. While the story won’t strike anyone as particularly original, it’s easy to identify with Chris Brander and the guy he was in high school. No matter how smug and sarcastic Reynolds is, we still feel bad for him and root for him to get the girl instead of Klein’s sleazy Dusty. Adam “Tex” Davis’ script makes for the perfect light-hearted “comedy/romance” for the holiday season, with an emphasis on the jokes rather than the romance, a strategy that undoubtedly pays off, as Just Friends encourages some belly laughs. Whether you’ve got a friend, a girlfriend, or a friend with benefits, Just Friends is a crowd-pleasure that sure to give you your money’s worth of fun. Give it a chance and it won’t let you down, because after all, isn’t that what friends are for? Check back next week for more reviews and remember, for those of you stuck in the Friend Zone, take my buddy Dave’s advice and “when in doubt, whip it out.” ‘Til next time… have a good Harry Potter weekend, folks.
