Dallas Buyers Club: Movie Review

It is not uncommon for an actor to undergo a dangerous physical transformation for a role.  Christian Bale, Tom Hanks, 50 Cent, and others have all shed enough weight to make then no much more than skin and bones. In director Jean-Marc Vallée’s “Dallas Buyers Club”, two of his stars (Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto) make that same  transformation.  As much as I hate to say it because of the physical toll it takes on the actors, these changes do make the performances that much more believable.

In 1985 Dallas, Texas, Electrician/rodeo bull rider Ron Woodroof (McConaughey) life was turned upside-down when he tested positive for H.I.V. Being told that he has about 30 days to live, Woodroof heads over to Mexico for treatment that is illegal in the United States.  The medicine he gets across the border works so well, that he decides to smuggle it into the states and sell it others who are suffering with the disease.

Because Ron is not very comfortable around the gay community, he partners up with a transsexual AIDS patient named Rayon (Leto).  Ron’s new business associate helps him get the drugs into the hands of those who need it.  As the demand for the medicine grows, Ron and  Rayon set up a buyer’s club, where members pay a monthly fee and get their drugs for free.  This is to avoid legal issues with selling the illegal medicine. The hospitals and the FDAA want to shut Ron’s business down, but the reluctant Dr Eve Saks (Jennifer Garner), feels that what the hospitals are offering isn’t working for the patients.    

McConaughey is perfectly cast as the cocaine snorting cowboy who is fighting for his life, but it is Leto who steals this movie.  He is nearly unrecognizable as Rayon and hopefully he will be thought of come awards season.  The unlikely friendship between Ron and Rayon is where “Dallas Buyers Club” excels.

I have not seen any of the previous directorial efforts from Vallée, but he does a fantastic job here. The screenplay by Craig Borton and Melisa Wallack is also great.  “Dallas Buyers Club” is now getting a wide-release, so make sure to go check it out.

By: Marc Ferman