Review of Brokeback Mountain (2005) by Cregt. — 05 Jan 2006

Substitute a female for one of the male leads and taglines containing the words: 'predictable,' 'trite,' 'sentimental,' and 'saccharine' would be the order of the day, but no because this film supposedly challenges social mores and love against the odds (or whatever) it's suddenly a 'masterpiece.

' Is there nothing that will end Hollywood's love affair with these grinding behemoths released at the end of each year as a means to garner awards from judges who are blindsided by anything that seems even remotely 'epic,' 'arthouse,' or 'daring,' and to redeem actors at the 12th hour after they have trudged through a year of less-than-spectacular roles as jive-speaking knights from the middle ages and crossdressing undercover cops? I find nothing heroic or ennobling about these characters.

It's not just because the central relationship itself immediately alienates anyone whose buttons aren't pressed by watching two rustic types fondle each other in the prairie, but because their lack of control over their carnal whims and consequent adultery (compounded by cooly calculated deception) makes them morally repugnant.

It's not hard to divine the propagandistic intent behind this preduction - after all, it's not the first time for Lee - but I really do think that adapting a pamphlet on 'Homosexaulity and Tolerance' would have made for a more engaging film; it certainly wouldn't have been any more disposable.