Dallas Buyers Club

Dallas Buyers Club - Breakout

BREAKOUT

It's funny when you follow the career of certain actors.  Some start strong, and fizzle out.  Others start weak, and grow to have a great career.  Others decide to confound you for years and suddenly make you open your eyes and realize, "Wow, so that's what they could do?"  Two actors in particular have shown that in recent years.  One is Woody Harrelson.  Sure, he plays a goofy white guy most of the time, but after an Academy Award nomination a few years ago, and a string of hits at the box office, you can say Harrelson is one of those guys who's come a long way from where he started.  The other actor is Matthew McConaughey, another Texas hick who was mostly known for chick flicks early in his career.  But after two straight years of critically acclaimed films, you can say he's one of those guys that definitely can act.  See "Fraility" and "Lone Star" for early proof.  Now you have, "Dallas Buyers Club" a breakout for McConaughey, and for one my money, one of the best performances in all of 2013.

"Dallas" is the true story of Ron Woodroof, an electrician and hustler who might come off a bit racist, homophobic, and womanizing.  All in all, he's one of the worst human beings you'd be unlucky enough to meet.  Woodroof contracts the HIV virus which eventually turns into AIDS and leads him down a road of not only self-discovery, but also redemption as he fights the FDA while trying to bring in unapproved medicine from out of the country to not only help himself, but an entire sub-community in the Dallas-area suffering from HIV and AIDS.

Within the first 16 minutes of "Dallas" I was drawn in by McConaughey's performance.  I found myself both hating him, and feeling extreme sympathy for his situation.  His portrayal of Woodroof was haunting and his dedication to the characters was on the level of Christan Bale's performance in "The Machinist" which is a parallel that a lot of people are currently making.  The difference between Bale and McConaughey's performances is the characterization.  I never felt anything really for Bale's Trevor Reznor, whereas with Woodroof I found myself hating him, and come the end, complete compassion.

Aside from McConaughey's standout performance, I'd also go as far as saying this is Jennifer Garner's best acting since "The Kingdom" and it's nice to see that Steve Zahn is still getting work.  But, you also have a star-making performance by Jared Leto, who plays Rayon; a transgender man with AIDS who befriends Woodroof and helps him open The Dallas Buyers Club.  Leto, who also fronts the band "30 Seconds to Mars," is the perfect foil to Woodroof and his acting really surprised me.  I'm left to wonder why he doesn't try his hand at Hollywood films more often, but I guess band groupies are more lucrative.  The relationship between Rayon and Woodroof is the heartbeat of the film and you'll be crushed by Leto's performance.

"Dallas" is a film that depends on it's actors' performances, and it won't disappoint.  It explores one of the unsung "heroes" during the 1980s AIDS epidemic and casts a light on how there really isn't any money in the CURE for diseases, only the medicine that is "HELPING" the disease.  There is no doubt that McConaughey will be a heavy favorite when the Oscars are announced later this month, along with Leto in a supporting role.  Acting doesn't get much better than in "Dallas Buyers Club."

Fun Fact:  "Dallas" is Jared Leto's first film in four years, since 2009's "Mr. Nobody."