Milk

I can’t say I was dying to see this one. I didn’t know anything about Harvey Milk. And seeing Sean Penn, who plays him, with his hair matted down in a greasy and unflattering seventies style in the previews and posters didn’t really make me want to know more. But…there’s my rule, anything by Sean Penn. (See the same reasoning afoot in my thoughts on “Doubt,” below.) So….

I respected this movie…but I didn’t love it. I ended up being interested in Milk’s story, even amazed by it. The movie begins on the eve of his fortieth birthday, at a time when he was still a) in the closet and b) not proud of anything he’s done in his life. Over the next eight years, he utterly changes both those facets of his life—becoming, ultimately, a groundbreaking politician who changed the legal framework so prejudiced against gay Americans.

The guy had heart, and guts, and compassion—and sometimes, if the movie is to be believed, they overshadowed his reason a little. (Boyfriend #2, for instance, gives off unstable vibes from the get-go.) As someone who is fortiesh herself, Milk’s story gave me hope that I can still do things that matter. And it made me sad that Milk didn’t get the chance to keep plowing on.

But that’s sort of where the “wow” factor in this movie began and ended for me. (I would also have liked some more information about James Brolin’s character….I could tell he was a crackpot from his first scene, but what kind, and why? No insight there.)

I don’t know, I just felt kind of flat when I left the theater. Nothing like the brain percolation that happened for me after seeing “Doubt.”

Is it an important story to tell? Absolutely. Is it told well? Yes. Is the acting good? Yes, especially Penn. But, in the end, I have to confess, it just didn’t add up to a whole lot of movie experience for me. I wanted to like this movie more than I actually did. Sorry, Sean.