Brokeback Mountain

Is it me or what? I had heard so much about Broke Back Mountain. It’s based on a short story about two cowboys who fall in love back in 1963 and their meetings every four years for twenty years to be together. Sort of reminds me of the film, Same time next year. I was not impressed with this film. It is definitely not a gay film. There’s no singing and dancing, both guys are quite masculine and the film moves slowly for me. I will say the cinematography is excellent. Watching the sheep roam the mountainside of Wyoming. It seems the parts of the film most people have a problem with are what I like about the film. Anne Hathaway gives another great performance as the wife of Jack Twist. She sort of poor white trash who gets money. Michelle Williams of Dawson Creek Fame plays the wife of Ennis who actually gets to see her husband in the act of making out. The scene works very well and it happens to be the first scene shot in the film. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal have a screen presence and most of the story is told through their eyes when they raise up their heads or aren’t wearing their cowboy hats. If there were more rodeo riding or bar fighting I would say this would be a great buddy film. Many of the cliches show up in this film in a subtle way. Two guys get drunk, a cold winters night, the sheep are so far away so they end up in a pop tent together. Hey, did someone drink too much last night. The struggle and aggressive nature of the sex adds some intensity, but there are openings that need to be filled. There could be an intentional pun there. What made Jack attracted to Ennis? It seems Ennis already knew what Jack wanted. Deep down he had feelings himself, but didn’t know how to deal with them exactly. Jack’s assistance helped and at the same time created a struggle within himself. It’s a film you’ll have to decide if you wish to see it. I was surprised at the ending, but that’s life. We all make decisions and we have to live with them. You may want to wait until it arrives on DVD instead of paying $6.25 or more depending on where you live. Here in Austin the Matinees are $6.25. Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind.