Milk

A movie released in Jauary 2008, directed by Gus Van Sant, the same who gave us Good Will Hunting and My Own Private Idaho (a personal favorite with Keanu Reeves and River Pheonix).


This is the true life story of Harvey Milk, an early seventies emerging leader of gay activism who after many failed candidacies was elected as California's first openly gay elected official. The movie is offered in the format of Milk's flashbacks revisted during a self-recorded epiloge. Starting at the age of 40 in New York City, Harvey meets Scott and the couple moves to San Francisco. There, the couple opens a camera shop in a district known as The Castro. Starting from his rejection as an openly gay business owner Milk organizes a pro-gay business alliance. From this Harvey Milk discovers a passion for politics and runs for various offices for close to 5 years before being elected. The position City Supervisor puts him at political odds with another newly elected named Dan White who is a Roman Catholic from a blue collar region of the city. San Francisco, fresh out of the hippie phase is a community ripe for Harvey's kind of politics. Dan White finds himself on the political outside. In frustration White quits, tries to get reinstated and then Mayor George Moscone refuses. For this White assassinates the Mayor and Harvey Milk.

• Sean Penn as Harvey Milk, the openly gay, and politically activist San Francisco City Supervisor. A role for which Penn received the Best Actor Oscar.
• Emile Hirsch as Cleve Jones, plays Harvey Milk's last boyfriend, an emotionally dependent man who commits suicide.
• Josh Brolin as San Francisco Supervisor Dan White, a good job here as Milk's political enemy.
• Diego Luna as Jack Lira, a Mexican actor that is crossing over to Hollywood
  productions.
• James Franco as Scott Smith, a busy actor over the last decade, nothing
  impressive, good in this role as Milk's true love.

I give this movie a rating of 33 of 50.

• Character Development, 7 of 10, Milk as the main character begins as a closeted homosexual, becomes a gay activist.
• Screenplay, 6 of 10. This won an award for best screenplay, I found it to feel more like a 20-20 docu-drama.
• Acting, 7 of 10, Penn won for best actor, but I found the part to feel like a reprise of the retarded "Sam" role for which he received much acclaim.
• Photography, 6 of 10.
• Plot, 7 of 10, feel like I could have gotten the same from a textbook.

I was not inspired by this movie, found it to be over-rated.