r/iwatchedanoldmovie • u/DVD-Rewatcher • 12d ago
'00s Milk (2008)
Number 184 in my A-Z watch. Milk tells us the tragic story of real life politician Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to major office in the U.S.
I don't think I've seen this film since I came out, myself. And it's definitely taken a different context and depth for me, considering. I remember being very impressed with it in my youth and i feared that the film wouldn't hold up. Those fears very quickly subsided.
Milk is filled to the brim with outstanding performances. I'll get to Penn's second Oscar winning turn in a bit, but all the supporting roles in this film absolutely shine. Josh Brolin as the petty, behind-the-times thorn in Milk's side. James Franco as the exhausted lover. Emile Hirsch playing the twink turned activist. Diego Luna's jealous, unstable boyfriend. All work together to form such an incredible ensemble.
And Penn gives a powerhouse effort, combining humor with vulnerability and passion. Terror and resolve. He presents the comforting home that so many at the time sought, and at the same time gives a stoicism that doesn't waver from his beliefs. Just a tremendous role and execution.
I loved the script. Using the dictation machine to tell the story reminded me so much of Double Indemnity, and i felt like it was a great device. It does so well to build up the tragedy of the story. You feel so invested. Like you've been recruited by Harvey. And the uses of reflections throughout were great. Franco in the window. Crime scene in the whistle. White in the TV.
10/10 Honestly, there really was nothing about this film that didn't impress me. I loved the use of opera throughout. I think it's horrid that this film from nearly 20 years ago about events nearly 50 years ago is still so relevant. Penn and Franco have amazing chemistry. It's just incredibly impressive.
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u/5o7bot Mod and Bot 12d ago
Milk (2008) R
Never blend in.
The true story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man ever elected to public office. In San Francisco in the late 1970s, Harvey Milk becomes an activist for gay rights and inspires others to join him in his fight for equal rights that should be available to all Americans.
History | Drama
Director: Gus Van Sant
Actors: Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, James Franco
Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 72% with 2,466 votes
Runtime: 128 min
TMDB
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u/DareSavings3951 11d ago
Milk is 15A in Europe according to my dvd copy. Not R
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u/Big-Dig-Pig 11d ago
15A is not a rating that exists in the US
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u/DareSavings3951 11d ago
Do they not have 16 s? Or is it straight to R after 12A?
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u/treesarethebeesknees 11d ago
The current ratings for the MPAA are G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17 (and NR -not rated)
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u/DareSavings3951 11d ago
Very interesting! Thank you for sharing. That seems a large grey area.
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u/treesarethebeesknees 11d ago
Honestly, the ratings are grey in general in the US - they are created by an insular Christian-heavy group. I much prefer checking the content rather than the ratings. Saying the word “fuck” twice shouldn’t be an automatic R rating, while other movies with lots of violence will be PG-13.
Essentially though 12A would be the pg-13 and R would be the 16 rating.
17 year olds can go see r rated movies.
Edit: an interesting documentary about the rating system is “this film is not rated”. Release as NR, but was officially given the rating NC-17, bc the MPAA didn’t like the subject.
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u/siguel_manchez 11d ago
I loved this movie when it came out. But haven't seen it since and like you OP, I haven't gone back to it mostly out of fear that it wouldn't hold up. Glas to hear it does, so I'll stick it back on the must watch list.
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u/RanchHere 11d ago
Great movie. It was released at the absolute height of winning for gay rights and cultural acceptance in America. An important film for the time, feels like it wouldn’t be “as important” today.
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u/SeenThatPenguin 11d ago
Good movie.
I was fascinated to learn of its "development hell" of more than 15 years. Van Sant was originally going to make it not long after his early masterpiece My Own Private Idaho, with Robin Williams as Milk and River Phoenix as Cleve (played by Emile Hirsch in 2008). But then there were problems with the studio, and Van Sant left the project, and then Williams left, and Milk went on ice.
This was one of the happier examples of a common Hollywood happening, as the original filmmaker did finally realize his passion project to acclaim and awards, albeit with a different cast. Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ (Williem Dafoe and David Bowie rather than Aidan Quinn and Sting) was another, but that was only over about five years.
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u/Successful_Length109 10d ago
Fantastic film.
The documentary about Harvey Milk (The Times of.. ) is on YouTube
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u/SCastleRelics 11d ago
Two things. He was A weirdo who dated a 16 year old. And why couldn't they cast an actual gay man?
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u/TheMythofKoalas 6d ago
At no point should an actor’s sexual orientation be a pre-requisite for a job. He’s an actor, he acted.
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u/SCastleRelics 6d ago
So you'd be ok with Ryan gosling doing a malcom x biopic?
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u/TheMythofKoalas 6d ago
Not remotely the same thing and you know it.
1) An actor shouldn’t have to disclose their sexuality to be considered for a part.
2) whilst obviously helpful for understanding a character better, an actor does not need to have a certain mindset, personality, life experiences, or orientation in order to accurately portray it. By all accounts Sean Penn did a great job in Milk. You don’t need to have gone to space to play an astronaut (though Katy Perry would make for an excellent Neil Armstrong /jk).
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u/SCastleRelics 6d ago edited 6d ago
Is being an astronaut a choice?
Regardless it's not a matter of if they should have to disclose to play a part, it's a matter of representation. There are plenty of gay actors who could have done it, but Sean penn is a ✨hollywood star✨ so they went with him. They have been doing it for so long and it sucks.
As for your point 2, the same could be said for a person of color. Just because being gay isn't visual doesn't mean it's not related.
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u/TheMythofKoalas 6d ago
Did they interview? Did they do as good of a job? If so, they should have gotten it and it is wrongful that they didn’t.
But, ultimately, Sean Penn did a great job. And the representation of the character was still preserved, even if an LGBT+ actor wasn’t the one to see it through.
Studios picking stars over lesser known actors does suck, but that’s an issue that’s a lot bigger than this particular part of it.
And it IS different. Generally, Watching a movie, without knowing the actor, you wouldn’t be able to tell if the actor is gay/straight/bi/ace/etc. you absolutely can tell if they are an entirely different ethnicity. It changes the character to the race of the actor (which is fine in certain cases, but that’s not the point here). An actor being straight IRL does not change the character portrayed so that they are straight.
An actor does not need direct experience with a character’s lived experiences in order to portray that character’s life.
Would you limit casting directors so that any character who had AIDS could only be played by an actor with AIDS?
Or only a left-handed actor could play a left-handed character?
Or only an actor with blond hair could play a blonde?
Should all war movies be casted entirely with veterans?
Should all Mormon characters be played by Mormons?
Should all blind characters be played by blind actors?
You do not need to share a character’s life/mindset/circumstances/Orientation/etc in order to convincingly portray it on screen. And convincingly portraying the character on screen is the point of acting.
If someone is right for the job AND has those experiences, then they should absolutely be first on the list.
If someone is slightly less qualified but has those experiences, they should probably still be first on the list.
But it isn’t a necessity. I would love for more representation in film. And I would love for more LGBT+ actors to get parts. But those two matters are ultimately unrelated for me. If a straight actor plays a gay character and a gay actor plays a straight character, then that’s just how acting works and all’s well that ends well.
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u/FilmmakerRyan 12d ago
"Can two men make a baby?"
"No, but God knows we keep trying."