Dallas Buyers Club – review
A serious Oscar contender? Jared Leto (left) and Matthew McConaughey star in Dallas Buyers Club. Photograph: Anne Marie Fox
Dallas Buyers Club, by Canadian director Jean-Marc Vallée (Café de Floré, The Young Victoria), has been nominated for Best Picture (one of six nominations) at the 86th Academy Awards ceremony in March, but has been dismissed as a serious contender by many critics who classed it as a film of great performances rather than a great film.
It is based on the real-life story of Ron Woodroof, a rodeo-obsessed redneck diagnosed with AIDS – detected after an accident that occurs whilst working as an electrician – who defies the prediction by the hospital that he has no more than 30 days to live by seeking out trial drugs not only to treat the disease but to distribute to the numerous locals in the same boat in Dallas in the mid-1980s.
Woodroof is cocksure, homophobic and a bit of a rogue, and after the initial shock and disbelief caused by the test results he soon sees that there is money to be made in acquiring unapproved medicines and vitamins to shift to those infected, whilst attempting to cure himself.
Matthew McConaughey plays the unlikely entrepreneur, who has a slight change of heart and waters down his prejudices as he comes to terms with his illness and sees the desperation of other sufferers.
He inadvertently becomes a sort of trailblazer in his fight against the pharmaceutical companies and regulators in pursuit of freedom to feed the demand of the people with the alternative drugs trialled outside the US, whilst American hospitals ply their patients with an unproved and dangerous drug, AZT.
McConaughey is in career-best form with this convincing portrayal, not only due to his appearance (the actor shed 50 pounds to play the wafer-thin Woodroof) but the surprising charm and gung-ho spirit he brings to the character.
Woodroof meets opposition from several angles, including the police and the FDA (Food and Drugs Administration), as he bring in the drugs and begins selling them to fellow HIV sufferers, but after extensive research he finds a legal loophole allowing him to continue to peddle the products he has sourced, indirectly via a membership club format. This becomes the “Dallas Buyers Club”, where punters pay a fee upfront to join the club and the meds are then are free to the buyer by way of unofficial prescription.
Jared Leto appears as Rayon – Leto’s first film in six years having spent time concentrating on his band 30 Seconds to Mars – a transgender woman who is also suffering from the disease, who befriends a reluctant Ron whilst in hospital and ends up becoming his business partner of sorts, helping him extend the reach of his market by whipping up customers amongst the gay community, as Ron is uncomfortable with going into the clubs and circles that Rayon frequents.
Leto and McConaughey have gained Academy nods for their challenging roles, both of which required painstaking weight loss and displays of vulnerability and torment, and are in with a shot of Oscar glory having already enjoyed Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild honours. Leto is impressive giving a touching performance as troubled Rayon, who is struggling with the illness and a cocaine addiction, but McConaughey is the driving force in Dallas Buyers Club. He has further strengthened his recent reputation as a serious go-to actor since leaving behind his forgettable rom-com phase, for now…
There is a good turn from Jennifer Garner as Dr. Eve Saks, who is both emotionally and professionally torn by the events that unfold, as her hospital continues to use high-dosage AZT and the authorities attempt to shut down Woodroof’s operations. Vallée’s film is an engrossing watch and what is most refreshing is that it doesn’t overcook Woodroof’s character arc, instead showing him adapting to the situation and his predicament and finding his attitude subtly changing as he fights his unique battle.
Dallas Buyers Club is showing at the Hackney Picturehouse throughout February and March.