What I'm finding with this movie, like anything that happens in the mainstream that is powerful enough to change people's lives, is that it's showing me who my true friends are. And the people I aspire to having as friends. I know very well from how disappointing it is when a longtime friend or close family member just doesn't get it. I've had one of each - a woman friend and my father - just not have a clue.
But I was fortunate enough to have had three people come through for me in different ways about it in the last few days. The first was my husband, who was so profoundly moved by it on his second viewing (and first DVD viewing) that he cried openly in front of me - he didn't do that the first time in the theater - just got a little misty and did that I'm-Such-A-Guy-And-There's-Something-In-My-Eye thing. He has never once cried openly, as in tears running down his face, in all the time I've known him. And though we didn't talk as much about it afterwards as I would have liked (I've kinda backed off and let him have that delayed reaction we know so much about), he did say some profoundly positive things, for him, about it like "You're right - that *is* a great movie." First of all, I can't remember when he's *ever* uttered the words, "You're right," at least not to me.
Second of all, the only other movie I've ever heard him describe as "great" is "Snow Falling On Cedars," which he also describes to others as the best movie he's ever seen. His other favorites are "Casablanca," "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Dr. Strangelove," and "Citizen Kane," to name a few, so he's no slouch in the Taste category.
Then, yesterday, a longtime woman friend and I went and saw a really crappy movie the title of which I'm almost embarassed to admit here ("Failure to Launch" - gag). It was not my choice, believe me. She usually likes pretty pedestrian stuff, not to sound snobby, and she's one of the ones I described as someone vying to be an ex-friend months ago because she said she had no interest in ever seeing this one. So you can imagine how floored I was when, as we were talking about how lame the movie we'd just seen was, she said, "There hasn't been a really good love story out there for a while now. But I hear that one you liked, that "Brokeback Mountain," is one of the best love stories ever made. Would you say it is?" Well, duh. I've only *been* saying that for the last two months, now. What I actually said was "Yes, I would. You should see it, if you can get past any reservations you might have because it's a gay love story." She goes, "Oh, seeing gay sex doesn't bother me. I had just thought I wouldn't be able to relate to it." Uh, you do like men, don't you? WHATever. Anyway, the fact that she's willing to see it floored me. She goes, "I take it you own it already, huh?" I said, "Hell, yeah." She says, "Can I borrow it the next time we get together? I'd really like to see it." Turns out she had just been to Chicago for a week for a family reunion with her four sisters (she's one of 10 siblings), and three out of four of them RAVED about it - the other one just hadn't seen it yet.
Finally, I had lent my other copy out for the weekend to a straight male co-worker who sees a lot of movies and has good taste. He brought it back today and said that he and his wife "really, REALLY liked it - it was a great movie." He was on his way to a meeting and didn't have time to chat about it, but we talk a lot about the movies we both like and recommend to each other, so I'm hoping to hear some of his insights soon.
I know what you all mean, though. This is one of the high points in the saga that is my never-ending obsession with and promotion of this movie. There have been some equally low ones and there are bound to be some more. But I think the fact that it remains the #1 rental at Netflix and is probably #1 for DVD sales just goes to show that the more people who actually see it, the more people who want to. And they told two friends, and they told two friends, and so on, and so on.
