Milk Review

Milk: Sean Penn stars as Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office. I myself am not a big fan of Sean Penn, but I have to give credit where credit is due - he might just be the best actor working today. He proves this again with the role of Harvey Milk. He does such a good job that you are not even conscious of his outstanding acting, you just believe he is that character. What makes the movie even more impressive is that the rest of the cast is outstanding as well. James Franco is excellent as Harvey’s partner. It is without a doubt his best performance to date. Plus, Emile Hirsch and Josh Brolin also pour in a couple of great supporting roles. Harvey Milk was elected to San Francisco public office in 1977 and was the voice of the people who had a right to be heard. In 1978 he stood up to Proposition 6, a California ballot measure aimed at preventing gay people and supporters from working as teachers in public schools. He was assassinated 3 weeks later. I am not giving anything away by telling you this. The story is not one of suspense, but of hope. The hope that his message is disseminated and helps open people's eyes. The story is extremely powerful and hits home at a time when Proposition 8 (banning of gay marriage) is front page news. This film is directed by Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting). He structures the movie in a way that lets us know the accomplishments of Harvey Milk while getting to know the man himself. This is what makes the movie. It is what makes the message so powerful. Harvey is a person just like you and I, a person living life, loving the people close to him…why shouldn't that person have the same rights as the rest of us?

Ry's Rating: A-

Parents: Brokeback Mountain & Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

With a runtime of 128 minutes

This film is rated R