Review of The Normal Heart (2014) by Art G — 23 Dec 2014

A subject matter in which I am truly passionate about written by an individual who I admire, but yet I still I found myself cringing throughout this entire movie. I generally like(d) Mark Ruffalo before this performance, but now I've lost a lot of respect for his acting ability, (If I there was any to begin with). Haven't seen the play of the same name, I am not sure if the awkwardness of some of the scenes were due to its translation into film, (ie. scene where Weeks and Turner have their first dinner date; scene where Weeks and Niles are in the shower), or if it was Ruffalo's constant use of his "straight playing gay" hand gestures, that were to blame for my distaste for this movie. Wherever it came from initially, it was securely established once Sheldon Cooper from 'Big Bank Theory' entered the long, (and often confusing), character lineup. LOVING movies such as 'And the Band Played on', (and the book), 'We Were Here', 'Long Time Companion', and other great movies that tackled the same subject, I, (possibly), had TOO high of expectations for this movie. Ultimately I found it overly melodramatic, extremely awkward, and a little insulting.

Positive Note: I felt Matt Bomer did a good job in his acting performance.