Dallas Buyers Club (2013), R, 3 stars

Matthew McConaughey as Ron Woodroof.

Filmmakers, producers, writers, actors, and others involved in this project had to research the subject of AIDS and produce it subjectively and carefully as they had to involve the audience in the movie. I believe that movies about these types of subjects associating with AIDS are tough to watch but people from the audience in a movie theater can really learn some issues or sub-topics in the medical and pharmaceutical fields. Although, I was not entirely entranced by the overall results of the movie, the movie is really informative and gripping thanks to two fantastic performances.

The movie takes place in Dallas, Texas, 1985, where Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) just had sex with a woman before he glances at a newspaper article stating that Rock Hudson, an actor, has died of AIDS. Ron is collecting money and when he gets up on the bull, he runs away with all the people's money. However, he is being chased by Tucker (Steve Zahn), a friend who is a police officer. They both get in a tussle and Tucker takes Ron where he stumbles and collapses on the floor.

After an accident at Ron's workplace as an electrician, Ron wakes up at a hospital where he meets Dr. Eve Saks (Jennifer Garner). She and another doctor inform Ron that after does blood work tests, he is HIV-positive. Dr. Sevard (Denis O'Hare) questions Ron whether if he had any homosexual activity with another person and there's a little name-calling going on. Sevard determines that Ron has 30 days to live for him succumb to the disease but Ron says that it cannot kill him in that duration of time.

Ron continues with his wild lifestyle by snorting cocaine and having sex with prostitutes. However, as he researches AIDS, it is relevant that the disease is associated with homosexuals or gay men or with people using intravenous drugs. He is aware that there is a new drug called AZT for gay men as a test for them to recover. But, he takes them and Ron is weak.

During a trip to the hospital, Ron meets Rayon (Jared Leto), a transvestite AIDs patient, who Ron turns off initially but then gets along on the journey. Ron and Rayon starts a club called of course, "The Dallas Buyers Club" to sell memberships to afflicted gay men and AIDS-afflicted citizen of Dallas. They sell the drugs to them and Ron's and Rayon's relationship go even further. He also goes to war with the people with the CDC and FDA that are banning the drugs that are making the gay people with the lethal disease better.

Jared Leto as Rayon.

The consideration for audiences to pay attention to this movie is mandatory because people coming out of the theater will be discussing if the AIDS patients need attention as drug research from doctors and scientists are still continuing. Maybe, everybody who has a health-related issue needs to be attentive if they have right insurance or medical coverage to prove that they need assistance. Health benefits are essential to someone being in jeopardy for losing their life.

Matthew McConaughey is absolutely superb and committed to his performance with allowed him to lose a lot of pounds to secure his role and to accomplish the research he has done for this picture. This is seriously one of the best performances of the year and it should be considered as an Oscar nomination. Even, Jared Leto was unrecognizable and unforgettable as a transvestite AIDS patient who wants to reconcile with his father and make his life as comfortable as possible for him. It is definitely a powerhouse performance, too.

I felt that they did a good job clarifying that during the 1980s, there was an AIDs-boost in that era and that it was spreading throughout Dallas, especially. Although, there are moments of supposedly cliched provoking moments such as the doctor played by Garner to protest against the medical fields. However, it was not as impacting and reaching than I thought especially between the two main characters. There are conventional elements in this movie but thanks to the two great performances by McConaughey and Leto, it is a strongly-acted, fine movie.

***