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Variety's Todd McCarthy is calling Gus Van Sant's Milk "a fluent return to the relative mainstream" and "an adroitly and tenderly observed account of the life of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man voted into significant U.S. public office. Smartly handled study of the San Francisco politician's powerful effect on individuals and society accurately catches a moment in American political life three decades ago, but is most notable for the surprising and entirely winning performance by Sean Penn in the leading role.
"Made to more closely resemble Milk via an elongated nose, which also makes his face look narrower, the actor socks over his characterization of a man he's made to seem, above all, a really sweet guy, but who crucially possessed the fearlessness and toughness to be a highly successful political motivator, agitator and, ultimately, figurehead of a movement.
"Penn's Harvey is a man with a ready laugh, alive to the moment, open to life regardless of neuroses and past tragedies, and acutely aware of one's limited time on Earth. The explosive anger and fury often summoned by Penn in his work is nowhere to be seen, replaced by a geniality that is as welcome as it is unexpected.
"Penn is also an ideal conduit for a characteristic shrewdly underlined in Black's writing, that being Harvey's talent for gently but firmly nudging people out of routine or complacent attitudes. Harvey knows how to tweak others with lightly provocative or stimulating comments that break the ice, and Penn lays on just the right amount of casual innuendo to make this crucial personality trait convincing."
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on November 2, 2008 at 4:15 PM
comment #1
lazarus
says ...
I know most people would rather see someone else win an Oscar this year before Penn gets his second, but his career is certainly worthy of having two statues, unlike Tom Hanks or Kevin Spacey (not to mention Gary Cooper). It's just a shame that his first win had to be for his showy, over-the-top work in Mystic River, instead of his more nuanced performance in 21 Grams the same year.
Posted by lazarus
at November 2, 2008 4:37 PM
comment #2
JD
says ...
I totally agree that Penn was far more deserving of an Oscar for 21 Grams (or the following year's The Assasination of Richard Nixon) than Mystic River.
Question about running time: people have been saying that Milk is close to 3 hours long, but the Variety review says 127 minutes. Who's right?
Posted by JD
at November 2, 2008 5:18 PM
comment #3
John Y
says ...
3 hours?!?! Where do you get your information? IMDb has it at 128 minutes, so it's safe to assume that's the correct running time.
Posted by John Y
at November 2, 2008 5:29 PM
comment #4
K. Bowen
says ...
Why do some critics see a return to the "relative mainstream" as a good thing? Whats' the point of watching Van Sant or Aronofsky make a normal film?
Posted by K. Bowen
at November 2, 2008 5:32 PM
comment #5
JackeyAces
says ...
I'm interested in seeing this film but I'll likely netflix it. My biggest concern is they will try to make a saint out of him. Like most human beings he wasn't. He was an odd & probably crazy person along with his accomplishments. I just want it to feel real & accurate instead of being PC propaganda which is sooooooooo boring.
Posted by JackeyAces
at November 2, 2008 5:45 PM
comment #6
MilkMan
says ...
Dustin Lance Black must give really good head.
The first time is history, the second time is tragedy, the third time is farce.
I think it's appropriate to remind people that now is not the time to drink the Kool-Aid, since SF 78 is back and in our face.
Paranoid Park is the best Gus Van Sant movie of the year.
You want to be progressive, vote for the skaters, not the Sybarites. They already had their chance and they sucked at their job. My dad was a successful gay man and look how I turned out.
Posted by MilkMan
at November 2, 2008 5:46 PM
comment #7
p.Vice
says ...
This review makes it sound like a movie most will like but few will truly love.
Posted by p.Vice
at November 2, 2008 7:43 PM
comment #8
hcat
says ...
The three hour running time mentioned must have been the director's cut including an extra hour of the camera following him walking wordlessly down hallways and city streets and puttering around in his office. Van Sant might have also included a 20 minute static shot of him making campagin buttons.
This is the movie I am must looking forward to seeing this fall. Who would have thought that Penn would give a great performance playing a "really sweet guy"?
Posted by hcat
at November 3, 2008 8:30 AM
comment #9
Edward
says ...
Paranoid Park is a terrific, brilliant film. Hopefully Milk will be successful enought to allow Van Sant to make more films like Elephant and Paranoid Park.
Posted by Edward
at November 3, 2008 9:30 AM
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