Jinks/Cohen Company, 2008
Mov No. 44714
Genre: Biopic
Rated: R
Directed by: Gus Van Sant
Staring: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, James Franco, Victor Garber
Oscars: 2 Wins (Lead Actor (Sean Penn), Original Screenplay), 8 Nominations (Picture, Supporting Actor (Josh Brolin), Director, Score, Film Editing, Costume Design)
AFI 100 years, 100 _____ tributes: None
Runtime: 2h 8min
Best quote: "It's time to root them out [Homosexuals].” “And how are you going to determine who's a homosexual?” “My bill outlines procedures for identifying homosexuals.” “How? Will you be sucking them off?" - John Briggs and Tom Ammiano
It has been controversial for decades. Hotly debated. Many have died over the issue and many have strived for equality. But it isn’t easy. The issue of Gay Rights, not only in the United States, but all over the world, has caused many public debates, fights, riots, murders, hate crimes.
Harvey Milk, played exceptionally well by Sean Penn in Gus Van Sant’s Oscar-nominated Milk, was a hero to many and lives on as a martyr. Milk was the first openly gay politician in American history. He was killed in 1978, not as a hate crime but as payback.
Milk is a biopic of Harvey's life; it tells the tale (as Harvey recounts his life story) of his rise to power.
Harvey was a simple man of Jewish upbringing who moved to San Francisco to have a better “alternative” lifestyle.
It is there, in San Francisco where he begins to see the inequalities plaguing the homosexual community. Harvey Milk takes charge and runs for public office three times without success, each time gaining more and more votes. On the fourth try, he is elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
With the help of homosexual friends, Harvey Milk tries to bring in legislation, granting equal rights to Homosexuals all the while fighting “Proposition 6,” a state bill which would force homosexual teachers out of their jobs as well as anyone who supported them.
Director Gus Van Sant tells the story of Milk’s life as if Harvey Milk was just a normal person. And of course he was a normal person. He was man who laid the groundwork for future generations to live in peace and happiness, although thirty years later our bigotry and hatred still linger. Harvey Milk was a figure who rose to the ranks of hero without trying to be a hero. He was a man at the right time and place in history. Sean Penn captures that essence of the man masterfully. He puts on a show where you can’t help but cheer for him when he wins and you are genuinely saddened when he dies. Penn delves deep into the character and pulls out a performance which is one of the best of year and his career.
Even if you don’t like what Harvey Milk represented, even if you don’t like that type of lifestyle, this is a must see film. Not just because Sean Penn is incredible and gives a stunning, Oscar worthy performance, but to see the other side of the coin. Open your eyes and take a look at that "alternative" lifestyle. Give up your prejudices. See the film and learn something new.
Movies it was nominated with for Best Picture:the Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, The Reader, *Slumdog Millionaire
Is the movie worth your time to watch?
9.5/10 24-01-09
Age at win: 48
Nominated for: Best Actor in a Leading Role, Harvey Milk, Milk
Nomination: 5/5 (acting), 5/5 (total); Win: Second
Sean Penn previously won the Academy Award five years earlier for Mystic River, a suspense mystery about sexual abuse and murder. This time around, Penn plays Harvey Milk, a man who became the first openly gay politician in the United States.
Milk was a man who campaigned for equal rights for gays and lesbians to his dying day. Living in San Francisco, Milk made it his life's work to make things better for homosexuals. He was a hero to many and soon became a martyr, too.
Sean Penn took control of the character and successfully brought him back to life. He captured the essence of the man, what he stood for and what he believed in.
Sean Penn never flinched when he kissed another man on screen. Even though he is straight, and married, it still must have been hard to kiss another man. Actors will do anything to make a good movie, and in Sean Penn's case, he triumphed. His performance was night and day from his other roles, and all in all he was totally believable as a homosexual in 1970's San Francisco.
Somewhere, Harvey Milk is smiling.
23-02-09
Sean Penn
DOB: August 17, 1960
Sean Penn's performance
