“My name is Harvey Milk, and I’m here to recruit you.” The first lines Harvey Milk, played by Sean Penn, would proclaim at his rally speeches. Milk, directed by Gus Van Sant, is an interesting biopic following the last eight years in the life of California’s first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk. The film did not blow me away, but it did keep me interested and had some really fantastic acting.
When I say openly gay, I mean OPENLY gay, and director Gus Van Sant does not shy away from showing the man on man affection. Think Brokeback Mountain times five. At first, I was a little uncomfortable watching some of the scenes with the men kissing and it took me out of the story a little, but by the end you forget the characters are homosexual and can’t help but get lost in the story.
The main reason why Milk worked like it did was the performances. A superb ensemble cast who all may or may not be actually gay, I’m really not sure, their performances were that convincing. Definitely keep an eye out for this being nominated for a best ensemble cast during next year’s SAG awards. The supporting cast is made up of Emile Hirsch, who plays Cleve Jones, the gay little badass who Harvey recruits on the streets to be his assistant. Emile Hirsch is a rising star in the film business, and after his Oscar snub for Into The Wild, directed by Penn, he follows it up with another solid performance. Then there’s James Franco, who plays Harvey’s love interest Scott Smith. Franco could almost be considered the female lead in this film; since there are not many females in the film he is there to show the love interest in Harvey’s life. Franco is having a breakout year, with a show stealing performance in the comedy Pineapple Express, and now a terrific supporting performance in Milk.
The supporting role that stood out the most though was Josh Brolin, who played San Francisco city official Dan White. Dan’s character was a very tough one to pull off, he is a new father in the film who at parts you can’t help but feel sorry for. Then he starts to lose it after everything goes Harvey’s way and not his, ending in him losing his job and leading to his meltdown. Josh Brolin pulls it off again, earlier this year in a very tough role in W. and now as he transforms into Dan White where in my opinion he should be nominated for a best actor in a supporting role.
Then there’s the lead. This is the main reason why Milk is worth seeing. Sean Penn. There are some actors that can just do anything. Gay, mentally challenged, a badass ex-con from Boston, to name a few. Some actors are too good to be categorized as character actors. Daniel-day Lewis, Tom Hanks and Sean Penn, screen legends that will always continue to amaze. His performance is spot on; if you’ve seen any clips of Harvey Milk, with his big flamboyant smile and hand motions you will see that Sean Penn nails it. He is funny, emotional, and very very gay. His performance most likely will give Penn his 5th nomination with his best chance to win since his first Oscar back in 2003 for Mystic River.
Gus Van Sant makes his best film since Good Will Hunting, and Van Sant being a homosexual himself, this is a film that he can really be proud of. The directing and acting are the stuff worth mentioning, I thought at times the writing and score had chances to blow you away and just missed. The story was okay but it seemed to drag a little in the third act. Making Milk very close to being a great film, but not quite.
imdb: 7.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
moviewiseguys: 7.5/10