Photo credit: Courtesy of Focus Features
In our countdown to the Oscars, we continue with Best Picture. Our previous countdown eliminated “Her” – “Captain Phillips” – “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “Gravity.” The remaining nominees for Best Picture are: “12 Years a Slave” – “American Hustle” – “Dallas Buyers Club” – “Nebraska”- “Philomena”
Now we explore “Dallas Buyers Club”
“Dallas Buyers Club is a 2013 American biographical drama film directed by Jean-Marc Vallée and starring Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto and Jennifer Garner. The film is based on the true-life tale of Ron Woodroof, an AIDS patient who began smuggling unapproved pharmaceutical drugs into Texas when he found them effective at improving his symptoms.
In 1985 Dallas, Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey)—an electrician and rodeo cowboy portrayed as having homophobic views—is diagnosed with HIV and given 30 days to live. He initially refuses to accept the diagnosis, but remembers having unprotected sex with an intravenous drug user. Ron quickly finds himself ostracized by family and friends. At the hospital, he is tended to by Dr. Eve Saks (Jennifer Garner), who tells him that they are testing a drug called AZT—an antiviral that is thought to prolong the life of AIDS patients, and the only drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for testing on humans. Saks informs him, that in the clinical trials, half the patients receive the drug and the other half are given a placebo. She tells Woodroof that this is the only way they can determine if the drug is working.” Wikipedia
We applaud anyone who takes on the medical industrial complex as it is often called and like anything based on a true story. Once again, as has been the case in several other Oscar nominated films, many of the scenes were difficult to watch as pertains to debauchery. Although Matthew McConaughey and Jared Ledo gave stellar performances, it wasn’t enough to keep it in the running for best picture. So, we’re taking it off the list…..five down, four to go.
The Trailer:
