By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
Starring: Denis O'Hare | Jaerd Leto | Jennifer Garner | Kevin Rankin | Matthew McConaughey | Steve Zahn
Country: united_states
Year: 2013
Running time: 117
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790636/combined
Chris says: “On paper, this scans as a calculated attempt by Matthew McConaughey to complete his multi-film rehabilitation from rom-com leading man joke to well-respected, award-winning Actor. However, from the instant you see him startlingly emaciated as Ron Woodruff, you don’t see McConaughey at all, a trickier feat than it sounds. That goes double for Jared Leto,
theoretically an insane pick to play the role of saucy transgendered-best-friend until he/she appears on screen and you’re
swept away by how complete the transformation is. The well-meaning screenplay is a little hacky at times, but director Jean-Marc Vallee (who helmed the wonderful C.R.A.Z.Y.) favors an understated, matter-of-fact tone that goes a long way in making this perhaps the best mainstream fiction film about AIDS to date (not that it has much competition). 4 cats”