Though was often far oversimplified as “the gay wboy movie,” Brokeback Mounta nohels beme a worldwi phenomenon upon s release 15 years ago today. It should have also bee a Bt ...
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WAS IT GOOD FOR THE GAYS: ‘BROKEBACK MOUNTA’
In this regular lumn, we’ll look at pictns of queers cema and ask, Was It Good For The Gays? G Van Sant had tried to direct (he pched to Matt Damon, who turned down bee he had already played a gay man and a wboy before and didn’t want to do both aga); Mark Wahlberg was once nsired for the lead, but he turned down bee, duh, ’s about gay guys. Conservative groups issued boytts of the film, polil punds acced of phg a gay agenda, and notorly lost the Amy Award for Bt Picture to Crash; many crics acced Amy voters of homophobia, as the film was the bt-reviewed release of the year, and, spe the Osr loss, was also the year’s most honored film.
And, as most gay dramas, has an unhappy endg: Twist di, likely murred for beg gay. It’s fluence on popular culture nnot be nied, for better or for worse — ne years later, people are still makg gay wboy jok.
The Pros: In terms of basic visibily, Brokeback Mounta was a huge w for the gays. ) And what better way to stoke the classic homophobic fire by makg wboys (OK, technilly they’re “ranch hands, ” but, you know, they’re wboys) — the most classic image of good old Amerin masculy — a ltle queer? But is there anythg one uld actually suggt wasn’t good for the gays Brokeback Mounta?