Review of Milk? (2012) by Fernando Rafael Q — 09 Apr 2011

For a film of this type, in the times of Prop 8, it lacked impact. Maybe I had my hopes up too high, but I was kinda disappointed in Milk. It's a decent film, but I think other '08 movies like "The Dark Knight" or "WALL·E" are more deserving of the nomination for Best Picture, since this one lacks that "punch" for a biopic to work the way it should. I felt the film move at a slow, flat pace, almost never picking up, with each scene feeling the same as the last one. But what makes it shine is the cast.

Sean Penn became Harvey Milk, and was charming and funny as the late politician. Josh Brolin finally got some Oscar recognition for his work as Dan White; his haunting performance left me wanting more. Other highlights include James Franco (in what's been a great acting year, after Pineapple Express), Emile Hirsch (definitely a surprise) and Alison Pill. Shame on Diego Luna, he was terrible.

I haven't seen enough Gus Van Sant films to have a solid opinion, but I think a different director could've taken this Dustin Lance Black script to another level. Great score, by the way.