Milk Review

‘Milk’ is One-Dimensional and Overrated

-----‘Milk’ follows the story of Harvey Milk from his 40th birthday to his death, taking place primarily in the 70s. A political activist, Milk went from common man to politician through hard work and motivation. In an angry atmosphere filled with confusion and turmoil, Milk stuck to his beliefs as he fought for his rights in San Francisco.

-----Sean Penn plays Harvey Milk, in a very overrated role. There’s no doubt that Penn does a good job, but many speak of it as profession-defining. Granted he looks like Milk, but other than that I found his performance to be one of simple caliber. Penn raises his voice, has the mannerisms down, and the real Harvey Milk was a man who showed all of his emotions. When Penn needs to be sad, he’s sad, angry, he’s angry, happy, he’s happy. Much like the film itself there is no grey area or layered feel to his performance. I felt that Penn’s turn, while proficient, was very doable. Similar roles have been studied in films like, ‘Philadelphia,’ and Penn’s portrayal is nothing groundbreaking. Josh Brolin plays Dan White, in another very overrated role. He has to play the somewhat confused typical politician as he gets fed up with Milk’s success and ultimately turns violent. The role is nothing special, having to play a politician trying to make everyone happy. I’ve seen the character archetype before, and his performance, while adequate, hardly lends to the motivations behind the terrible actions he comes to commit. Other cast members include a small turn from Emile Hirsch in a role that, while out of his usual style, is too small to be anything more than adequate.

-----The film’s only truly excellent and versatile performance comes from the always intriguing James Franco as one of Milk’s earlier flames. It seems no matter what role he’s in, he has the talent to catch the heart strings of the audience. When one studies his body of work, a trend can be realized. For instance, he plays a villain in a goblin suit, we sympathize with him; he plays a man having an affair with his friends’ wife, we sympathize with him; he plays a drug dealer, we sympathize with him! Franco’s role is an underrated one in this film where the Academy recognized just about every major player, except Franco. There’s no doubt that Franco is quickly emerging as one of Hollywood’s superior talents.

-----The cinematography occasionally calls upon real footage to do its work. And while the climactic scene of the film is executed with an agreeable skill and artfulness, there’s not much more to talk about. I was also disappointed in the musical score from Danny Elfman. I’ve come to expect great things from him, but unfortunately, like much of the film; it was a one-note score that failed to inspire me. There is, however, the occasional interesting choice in contemporary tracks. The script itself often stumbles as it flees the political scene for some of Milk’s personal life. Whether or not it was intentional, all that these extra scenes did for me was to make it hard to relate with Milk. Showing his promiscuity and casual mood about who or when he decided to pick up a stranger for intimacy, I found his politics often fell under the weight of this not-so-idyllic behavior. Call it humanizing the man if you will, but for me it just weighed down the film and the politics Milk’s remembered for. I was also disappointed at the movie’s inability to show both sides of the controversial issue. While the lead and direction of the film obviously lend to his political stance, the film never shows anything other than extremist viewpoints as an opposition, failing to recognize the grey areas.

-----The finished product is a disappointing two hours. All previously converted to Milk’s politics are sure to love it, but everyone neutral or otherwise entangled in the controversy may find it hard to relate with any of the characters, or even gain a true understanding of the times in this one-sided argument. Failing to convince the viewer of anything, ‘Milk’ fails to provide the politically potent and mind altering storytelling of this year’s ‘The Visitor,’ acting only as a rally for those already sold on the issue. Much like Penn’s dramatic Oscar acceptance condemning alternative viewpoints, the film is lost in its own politics. I would much have preferred Mickey Rourke’s in depth and heart wrenching performance in ‘The Wrestler’ to have won the Oscar for Best Actor, along with ‘In Bruges’ for Best Original Screenplay. However, I’ve never been much for political films, and those interested in the man Harvey Milk was and his politics will probably immensely enjoy it. Other than that however, the rest of the general public looking for a good movie probably won’t find much entertainment or even deep thought in ‘Milk.’