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It took Ebert and Roeper both putting this film on their top ten lists to get me to "check my homophobia at the door" and go and see this film. I'm glad I did. While the story contains the elements necessary to establish the nature of the relationship between the two leads, it essentially boils down to "Romeo & Juliet" meets "Urban Cowboy". The fact that the two men are involved with each other rather than the more conventional movie pairing of a man and a woman does not detract from the story of how two people who share a bond which goes against the societal or family values of their environment must overcome many obstacles to their situation in order to sustain a relationship. There is much to admire in Ang Lee's take on that situation including the cinematography, the elements of the cowboy and rodeo culture being portrayed, the pain and confusion the female characters who hook up with these two and a bittersweet ending to what is in essence 'a tragedy'. Both the more gregorious Jake Gylenhaal and the soft spoken Heath Ledger acquit themselves with Oscar worthy performances while Michele Williams once again proves she can move beyond Dawson's Creek into meaningul film roles, in this case as Ledger's long suffering wife. The movie does drag at times as Lee is in no hurry to finish this 'painting' of love in the modern day wild west. The fact that Larry 'Lonesome Dove' McMurtry co-wrote the screenplay isn't surprising, given his familiarity with the modern 'western' milieu. Overall one of the best movies of 2005. See for yourself!
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