At Long Last: Milk Reviewed

It's been nearly a month since I saw the movie in a small private screening theatre on Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. Screening rooms are not the best place to watch a film—its usually a larger than TV size screen with a muffled, deadened sound. It's a small audience, maybe about twenty five people in all. For whatever reason, there was what's called an "embargo" against writing reviews for the film until this week. What occurred was everyone, especially the Hollywood Reporter, writing so-called non-reviews, or just ignoring the embargo as some kind of marketing ploy, which it was. There has been a lot of discussion as to why the film was released after the elections, especially in light of the defeat of Proposition 8 in California. At the screening, a well-known writer of gay cinema told me that the film was being released in late November for Academy Award consideration. There is much irony to this: Milk is a movie that actually motivates one to want to get involved in politics. This is, at this point, marketing under the bridge.
The film begins with some rare, revealing and painful scenes of gay bars being raided in the 50s. It is a poignant reminder that it wasn't that long ago, that just going to a gay bar was dangerous. Gay life was fraught with danger from being fired or blackmailed and basic civil rights were denied. We meet a 40 something Harvey Milk, who as played by Sean Penn is nothing less than a revelation. Charming, witty,  and persuasive, we believe that this man could bed the much younger Scott Smith, played beautifully by James Franco. A relationship develops and we see Harvey Milk evolve from a deadened insurance agent to a shop owner in the increasingly gay Castro neighborhood of San Francisco. We witness many, many marches through the streets of San Francisco and the rise of a politician who is as cunning as he is clever. There is a lot of realism in Milk, from the kissing exchange between Penn and Franco to the use of many of Harvey Milk's old friends in the film. The question really is, in film, do you make it more interesting than life? The character of Jack Lira played by Diego Luna is so annoying that by the time he makes his exit, there is actually some relief. And in some ways, this is the missing emotion in Milk: you can be devastated by the murder, the sorrow of what might have been, but director Van Sant has chosen to see this through history not someones eyes.
Is it a great film? Probably not, because great films have enormous emotional impact. The greatness lies in Sean Penn's performance, which is inspired. Nearly everyone shines even if their character doesn't (Advocate owner David Goldstein takes a beating). Josh Brolin is haunting as Dan White, a man who finds he cannot compete with the charm and political abilities of Harvey Milk.
What this film does exceedingly well is tell a story about a man who had courage. A hero, not just in gay history but in the context of San Francisco itself. It is clear that in an age such as ours, Harvey Milk's are needed to define, explain and compel people into action. That is greatness in itself.