Brokeback Mountain

[huntergrayson]

As true as it may be, my issue is that there are plenty of other reasons for not to do well which could be ignored in favor of playing the "gay card." Namely, it's a western, not the most popular/contemporary genre, slash-romance with two not-huge stars (Jarhead aside). (much how Rent is a musical with no stars that happens to deal with gay issues). That alone is a tough sell and it seems that if you can sell someone on that concept, they might be okay with the gay thing.

I'm giddy that the 14 year old fangirls on ONTD and LJ are eager to see the hot gay love. It's kinda progressive, I guess.

I thought for sure that it was coming out in LA this weekend, but that was a lie I told myself. IMDB says it's out in New York, though. So any New Yorkers on the board get to be lucky and see it first.

[spiderwyman]

As much as I want to see this (and I will) , I am sooo yearning for a day that Hollywood has the cojones to make a gay male love story in which the two leads end up together, alive and happy in the end.

[slashgirl]

Is it going to stay in limited or is it going into wide?

It's opening in NY/LA on Friday and nationwide a week later.

[lpatrice]

As much as I want to see this (and I will) , I am sooo yearning for a day that Hollywood has the cojones to make a gay male love story in which the two leads end up together, alive and happy in the end.

In Hollywoods defense, this movie is an adaption of a short story.

[spiderwyman]

Hi, lpatrice!
Yeah, I know.
And I just want to say that my last comment is no slam on BM, this film looks like an intelligent, heartbreakingly beautiful film.
And I am definitely seeing it.
It actually reminds me of another beautiful book that also deals with two men falling in love, The Front Runner, which interestingly enough, is also written by a woman.
It's a stunner of a book...beautifully constructed, smart, and romantic...but also ends in separation, ache and doom.

I want to see a major gay romance modeled after the classic Hollywood romantic film, in which after trials and tribulations, the lovers triumph in the end.

Anyway, I had no idea that Brokeback Mountain's adapted script was written by Larry McMurtry , of all people....he has written so many classic, very hetero Westerns...
great writer, BTW

[Deleted]

The short story was one of the most amazing things I've ever read. I actually read it three times in a row in one sitting! After it was printed in The New Yorker, I kept running into people who'd say, "It's weird, I just read this thing and I keep thinking about it." It was BM, every time. I can't wait to see this movie.

I'm sure the teen male dumbass audience will stay away in droves but, then, they've always avoided romance films. I think if "Pride and Prejudice" and "Capote" can find decent box office in limited release, this movie will also.

[Zixizolar]

As true as it may be, my issue is that there are plenty of other reasons for not to do well which could be ignored in favor of playing the "gay card." Namely, it's a western, not the most popular/contemporary genre, slash-romance with two not-huge stars (Jarhead aside). (much how Rent is a musical with no stars that happens to deal with gay issues).

On the topic of box office success surrounding movies that revolve about gay love stories starring unknowns-
A long while back I caught the movie Maurice on t.v. IMO, one if not the best movie made in the past 20 years. But I wondered how the movie did at the box office when it was released in 1987. Its an English period piece starring relatively unknowns at the time (pre-fame Hugh Grant.) I wondered how it was received by the movie-going public. (I was too young at the time to know.) But it did win several prestigious awards as I see Brokeback doing and has already done. Does anyone know about the success of Maurice? I guess I'm maybe naive in hoping that by now people would want to watch a beautiful love story, whether between a man & a woman or two men.

[huntergrayson]

Hey sweetheart -- Incorrect Movie Database says that on a budget of 2.6 million, it made 3.3 in the US. I feel that it was even more successful in Britain, as Merchant/Ivory is an institution there.

I'm actually hoping that Brokeback is hugely, hugely successful.

I loved what the reviewer said in Premiere mag's review (4 stars or 5, whatever their highest rating is) -- he basically said that as much as the media gets accused of advanced the liberal homosexual agenda, how ridiculous it is for reporters to be all "oh gosh, what was it like to kiss a dude! OMG!"

[slashgirl]

When Universal/Focus, the studio distributing Brokeback Mountain, sold the international distribution rights, they already made their money back, so any money it makes once it's released is pure profit. My guesstimate: it'll gross about $40-50 million before the Golden Globe and Oscar nominations come out and make about another $20 million after.

[Deleted]

Lots of pics from the movie- including some Heath/Jake mackage. Spoiler-ish.

link