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Back Shelf Beauties
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Brokeback Mountain You've heard all about it. You've read about all of the awards it has won. You've even seen a review or two about how good it is, but some people still wonder if they want to see a movie with two gay cowboys. It's a subject not everyone is comfortable with, but Brokeback Mountain, if you are willing to give it a chance, is an emotional, heartbreaking movie. Heath Ledger stars as Ennis Del Mar - a young cowboy raised by his siblings when Mom and Dad tragically died. In the summer of 1963, he finds work guarding sheep in Wyoming. A rodeo cowboy, Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal), is his co-worker, and the two form a strong friendship while up on Brokeback Mountain all alone (except for the sheep). One night, they get a little drunk, get a little lonely, exchange some meaningful glances over the fire, and need to share the same tent to fight off the cold. With their guard let down, Ennis and Jack share a night of passion, which leads to a secret, loving, heart wrenching 20-year relationship that threatens their marriages, livelihoods and place in society. Will Jack and Ennis finally admit their love and share a life together? Who will discover their secret? What will they lose? Say what you will about the premise, but no one can dismiss the amazing performance put in by Ledger. He is outright awesome as we see him portray Ennis's deeply painful struggle to deny his feelings for Jack due to the way he was brought up, incidents in his past, the marriage he has to Alma (Michelle Williams) and his fear about being an outcast from society. Ledger shows us how the laconic, conflicted cowboy comes to life around his new love, and the battle to fight off great, but forbidden, passion. He is like a young Clint Eastwood looking meaningfully across the lake at the huge mountains rising in the distance, bursting out in anger to hide his fear and, ultimately, regretting some of the biggest decisions of his life in the poignant closing scenes. Gyllenhaal is very good as the wide-eyed optimist who wants to run away into the sunset with his true love, and I was blown away by Williams as the wife who feels heartbreak as she starts to pick up on Jack and Ennis's "fishing trips" and the resulting confusion and sadness as she tries to cope with the awkward situation, but Brokeback Mountain is Ledger's career-making movie guided by director Ang Lee's magnificent hand. Lee adds a loving, tender touch to the movie avoiding exploitation and salaciousness to bring us an epic, complex and painful love affair that stirs your emotions, whether you want to let it or not. He mixes beautiful shots of the open country and dusty Texas flatlands with deeply intimate one-on-one scenes between the various actors in Brokeback Mountain. It's an amazing job, but, as pointed out by my colleague TheMovieBabe.com, Lee doesn't do enough to give us a feel for how many years have passed between all of the scenes. We have to follow the age of Ennis's children and Jack's changing facial hair and sideburns to determine what year it might be, but I am horrible at guessing the age of children, and I'm far from an expert in the history of hair styles (Do I look like Vidal Sassoon?), so a little help would have been welcome. Also, I think Lee let the movie go a bit too long after giving us Brokeback Mountain's natural climactic scene that resolves the relationship between Jack and Ennis in the most memorable way possible. Instead, he brings back Ennis's daughter who has been fairly ignored throughout the movie, so I don't know why Lee felt the need to wrap up anything between her and Ennis. Finally, I know some may be concerned about possible graphic scenes, but the concerns are unfounded. While we do see kissing and simulated sex acts, the only nudity in Brokeback Mountain is from Ann Hathaway (you won't read about that in her Princess Diaries, but you will read about it in mine) and Michelle Williams. Just remember, the movie is rated R, so you should expect some adult themes and situations. Brokeback Mountain could be a front running Oscar contender come January and February, and it's on my list of the best movies of the year. 3 ½ Waffles (Out Of 4) Copyright 2005 - WaffleMovies.com
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