I saw Brokeback Mountain

Where to start? I saw the movie this afternoon and was really in a bummer mood afterwards so I wanted to take some time to reflect and just think things through before I wrote about it here. For those that haven’t seen it, I won’t give anything away as I am more or less just going to be general in nature.

The movie overall is a great piece of work! I think almost everyone’s performance is top notch and made the characters very believable. There really isn’t anything good at the end (as far as feelings go) so you are left with just emptiness (or at least with me). It was excellently performed and just draws in and leaves you just like one of the characters at the end…like you have been hit in the gut.

Jake Gyllenhaal (Jack Twist) did a fantastic job playing the more outspoken guy of the two. I thought Jack came across as being honest and again believable to have fallen in love with Ennis. Jack has a better grasp on what he wants and seems to be very comfortable with himself. At times Jack has this “fuck the world” mentality and just wants to be happy with the one he loves (Ennis).

Heath Ledger (Ennis Del Mar) steals the show. WOW! Ennis has a hard time dealing with the fact that he has fallen in love with a man (Jack). Ennis is more worried about what others think than Jack but then again I think Ennis was just being cautious due to the time frame the movie takes place. The two originally fall in love in 1963 and the movie covers the next two decades and back in those days it wasn’t too far fetched to be killed for doing what these two were doing!

One thing that may be hard for some people to understand is the bitterness Ennis has towards Jack at times. I think that Ennis has a hard time just dealing with the whole falling in love with Jack. Jack knows what he wants and has no problem voicing those feelings.

Michele Williams (she plays Ennis Del Mar’s (Heath) wife) does a fabulous job as she isn’t really the center of the movie but she is a part of the center character of the movie. At times you feel for her because you get the feelings she is having. There is one scene with her and Ennis are in the kitchen that really just gave me chills. She pegged the scene without looking as if she were even acting. I wonder what “place” she had to take herself to in order to get in the role.

Anne Hathaway (plays Jack Twist’s (Jake) wife) did a fairly good job but for some reason I thought she was the weak link. Her acting was well done but her hair and make-up was lacking. At times, she appeared to stick out like a sore thumb because of her big hair and make-up she became the center of the scene when she shouldn’t have. I think she did a great job in a phone scene towards the end of the movie.

Overall, I think they hype of all this man-on-man sex thing is blown out of proportion but the hype about the acting and directing are spot on. The movie deserves the attention it is getting and I am so glad I got to see it in the theatre. Just be sure to tinkle first…the movie started at 1:10 and I got in my car to come home at 3:45. I give it a must see!