Brokeback Mountain
2005, River Road Entertainment
At the risk of rattling some cages big time, I'll confess here and now that I'm a member of a microscopic minority that didn't care for a film that, evidently, we're all supposed to worship. My problem with Brokeback? It screams, "This film has the express agenda to get the attention of the Academy, because we know they will fall all over themselves to shower such a boldly controversial film with praise... and awards." And the award goes to: the Academy, for taking the bait. (There was another film that had the same effect on me: Crash.) Now, I'm sure the filmmakers were all perfectly earnest, and had no such agenda; also, I thought the performances were excellent, and production values were top-notch. I just couldn't get past the Oscar-grab vibe. And besides, there have already been films with the same "controversial" theme; Brokeback simply appeared on more screens.
In case you're inspired to get your poison pen all fired up, know that I'd posted a review of this film on a public forum several years ago, and received plenty of hate mail already. One person even told me I should be barred from expressing any opinion, anywhere, ever again. In addition to being branded a homophobe, I've also been lumped in with conservative pundits simply because many of them hated it (no matter that it was for different reasons). But I'm neither a conservative nor a homophobe; I simply didn't like the bloody film, okay? For what it's worth, I'm genuinely glad it got the attention it did, and hope that it benefitted the gay community.
DKS 4/2/22
GRUMPY OLD FART-O-METER® Rating:
