Movie Info
Movie Name: Milk
Studio: Axon Films
Genre(s): Drama
Release Date(s): October 28, 2008 (Premiere)/November 26, 2008 (US)
MPAA Rating: R
You gotta fight for your rights!
Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) is out to create a change. After meeting Scott Smith (James Franco), Milk realizes that gay rights are being trampled and that he has to change something. Milk decides gays must be in office if they want to have rights and fight for them himself. As Harvey manages to rise in San Francisco, Anita Bryant is rallying conservatives to vote against gay rights. It is a battle that Harvey is willing to fight, but being a fighter could cost Harvey and make him a martyr.
Directed by Gus Van Sant, Milk is a biopic drama. The film chronicles the political career and death of Harvey Milk (May 22, 1930-November 27, 1978) who became the first openly gay elected official before being assassinated along with Mayor George Moscone by Dan White. The film was released to critical acclaim and won Academy Awards for Best Actor (Sean Penn) and Best Original Screenplay with nominations for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Josh Brolin), Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Score.
The best is of ahead of us…right?!?!
I had seen the Academy Award winning documentary The Times of Harvey Milk and knew the story of Harvey Milk. I admit that I’m not the biggest Sean Penn fan and wasn’t that interested in seeing a movie that you already know how it ends. Despite that, Milk turned into a great film, and Sean Penn gives an admirable performance.
Though it is set in the 1970s, Milk is very topical (even ten years after its release). The fight for civil liberties will never end and Milk shows the beginning of the public and political movement for gay rights. The story doesn’t hide that Harvey Milk is killed at the end for people who don’t know the story, and it builds the tension leading to the moment instead. It shows Harvey’s work and it makes him human for what was good about him and his faults (he was kind of a weasel at points)…making it a stronger biopic than many who just out and out glorify the subject.
The Twinkies made me do it!
Sean Penn often plays Sean Penn in my opinion. He’s very much like Jack Nicholson post The Shining…it is the Sean Penn grump-face. Here, Penn is actually acting out of the character he created and as a result his performance is good. You can forget you’re watching Sean Penn at times. He’s got a nice strong supporting cast with Josh Brolin playing the heavy Dan White (who escaped prison with the legendary “Twinkie Defense”). Emile Hirsh, Diego Luna, James Franco, Alison Pill, Denis O’Hare, and Victor Garber help round out the cast.
The movie does a good job with the styling of the late ’70s. It has a real look to it, and the setting gives it weight. Even with the stylized look, the movie doesn’t feel old so it can be accessible for everyone.
Milk is a stronger entry in the popular biopic genre. The movie brings a story that remains important with a player that seems to become more important as the years pass and Milk is recognized for what he achieved and when he did it. The climate of the United States and the world continues to change toward the LGBTQ movement, and Milk can be credited to one of the people who really started it.
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