Before it seems that my "review" seems one-sided and completely negative, I want to emphasize it shouldn't take away from the performances from the two lead actors. I think they have done an excellent job overall.
My major criticism centers around the continuing inaccuracies of Hollywood and very simplistic portrayals of the complicated themes and issues affecting the players during the 1980s and 1990s during the US AIDS epidemic.
I understand the target audience is not going to need to know accurate history, certainly not in America, and also appreciate this is strictly intended for entertainment. I just find it ironic that political extremes always denounce propaganda while continuing to use it for their own means. I found the script very poorly done and wholly inaccurate with such severe bias after researching the real Ron Woodroof.
Conflicting information 1. Ron likely wasn't as extremely homophobic as portrayed. He was never as confrontational as depicted in the movie. He was also never in the rodeo. 2. All the treatments he was marketing were wholly ineffective in treating HIV/AIDS. Read for yourself on DDC (Zalcitabine) and others were downright harmful. In fact due to the lack of follow-up of the patients, many may have had an accelerated demise due to some of the combinations used (impossible to say of course). 3. The FDA had already loosened some of the restrictions on drug trials to fast track treatments. There were never any dramatic seizures like in the film. 4. Dr. Saks, who was horribly portrayed by Jennifer Garner and Rayon are fictional for dramatic elements only.
I could continue on. My issue is that proponents always say how great it is of Hollywood to raise awareness on a film. I appreciate this but it distorts history and harms how people react to ongoing crisis if this should arise again. It is like trying to pass on an action movie as based on a reality when we know it should be purely for entertainment.
My major criticism centers around the continuing inaccuracies of Hollywood and very simplistic portrayals of the complicated themes and issues affecting the players during the 1980s and 1990s during the US AIDS epidemic.
I understand the target audience is not going to need to know accurate history, certainly not in America, and also appreciate this is strictly intended for entertainment. I just find it ironic that political extremes always denounce propaganda while continuing to use it for their own means. I found the script very poorly done and wholly inaccurate with such severe bias after researching the real Ron Woodroof.
Conflicting information 1. Ron likely wasn't as extremely homophobic as portrayed. He was never as confrontational as depicted in the movie. He was also never in the rodeo. 2. All the treatments he was marketing were wholly ineffective in treating HIV/AIDS. Read for yourself on DDC (Zalcitabine) and others were downright harmful. In fact due to the lack of follow-up of the patients, many may have had an accelerated demise due to some of the combinations used (impossible to say of course). 3. The FDA had already loosened some of the restrictions on drug trials to fast track treatments. There were never any dramatic seizures like in the film. 4. Dr. Saks, who was horribly portrayed by Jennifer Garner and Rayon are fictional for dramatic elements only.
I could continue on. My issue is that proponents always say how great it is of Hollywood to raise awareness on a film. I appreciate this but it distorts history and harms how people react to ongoing crisis if this should arise again. It is like trying to pass on an action movie as based on a reality when we know it should be purely for entertainment.