A little rough around the edges, but it certainly won me over. It’s quite possibly the first gay-rights and “AIDs movie” that I think even rednecks might enjoy and that’s no easy feat. It’s as much about the struggles to get the best drugs past a sham-FDA as it is HIV.
What Works: Matthew McConaughey’s resurgence as a real actor is complete after being so good in so many recent movies (Paperboy, Bernie, Mud, Magic Mike, and especially Killer Joe) and I certainly hope this film earns him his first Oscar nomination. Just as impressive is Jared Leto as…well, if the previews haven’t given it away for you then I’ll let it be a surprise, but I really did forget it was him after a couple minutes.
What really made this movie resonate, for me, is the whistleblower element of saying that the FDA is less about protecting the consumer and more about protecting the profits of American drug companies by not allowing safe meds from other countries to be sold here. Early on, the protagonist is told that he has only 30 days left to live, and that’s very nearly proven true when he gets a supply of AZT the “HIV wonder drug” that was originally developed for cancer, and may very well be killing more people than it’s helping. [It’s also the most expensive drug ever sold, sure to increase drug company profits, and the movie makes a connection that that’s how the drug was so easily approved, not because anyone believes in it.] His life is saved through more natural—-and illegal—-substances in Mexico and, eventually, other foreign countries, but he has to break the law in order to get them into America. Before you know it, he’s selling the stuff to other HIV sufferers and a very, very unique kind of “drug” movie is born. The novelty of a guy having to break the law to sell people life-saving drugs (and the fact that it’s a true story) wasn’t lost on this reviewer who’s always desperate to watch something new.
What Doesn’t Work: I actually felt McConaughey’s work in Killer Joe and even Magic Mike was a bit more nuanced and revelatory. Something about his lead desperado here didn’t quite grab me as much as it should have. Plus, Jennifer Garner’s character never becomes truly interesting. Still, these are minor problems for a movie that gets so much right.
What I Would Have Done Differently: I don’t want to pick apart a movie that is honestly better than 95 percent of what’s in theaters.