Milk: 2.5/4 stars. Gandhi for gay people. Takes a not particularly significant individual and inflates his importance to a level way beyond what it was in real life. Maybe 'Michael Collins' is a better analogy in this regard. Drags on and on. We know what's going to happen, and at the 1:20 mark I started hoping it would cut to the chase already. That said, Sean Penn's performance is very good, although there were a couple of scenes where he seemed to be channeling his "I Am Sam" character. In terms of craftsmanship, this is a better performance than Mickey Rourke's in "The Wrestler". The latter is more just a case where the actor and the role match up perfectly.
At the very least, the film doesn't shy away from the fact that the characters are gay, and shows the random hook ups and psychological anguish that fills the lives of real gay people (unlike, say, every other gay character in every movie or TV show ever, which is usually a variation of some sort on Jack from 'Will and Grace'). My take on the guy was that he was a local politician and gay activist who had limited influence beyond his district in San Francisco, but the movie almost treats him as though he was the first gay president. I also always got the impression that he really only became a gay hero after he died.
1 comment:
Sean Penn always struck me as Exhibit A for why Method actors are overrated. Many of the best do a very good job, but they never let you forget that you're, for example, Watching the Great Sean Penn Play a Gay Icon, or that you're Watching the Great Meryl Streep Play a Fierce Nun.
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