[Screen It]

 

"DALLAS BUYERS CLUB"
 (2013) (Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner) (R)

Alcohol/Drugs Extreme
Blood/Gross Stuff Moderate
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude Extreme
Frightening/Tense Scenes Moderate
Gun/Weapons Moderate
Imitative Behavior Heavy
Jump Scenes None
Music (Scary/Tense) None
Music (Inappropriate) Moderate
Profanity Extreme
Sex/Nudity Extreme
Smoking Extreme
Tense Family Scenes Moderate
Topics to Talk About Extreme
Violence Moderate

QUICK TAKE:
Drama: A heterosexual man must contend with contracting HIV in the 1980s and efforts to stop him from distributing illegal but potentially life-saving drugs to other victims.
PLOT:
It's the 1980s and Ron Woodroof (MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY) is a Dallas electrician who moonlights as a rodeo cowboy. He's into partying with his friend T.J. (KEVIN RANKIN), engaging in casual sex with various women, and occasionally getting into trouble with local cop Tucker (STEVE ZAHN). He certainly doesn't think much about HIV or AIDS beyond making a homophobic comment about the passing of movie actor Rock Hudson from that. That is, until he suddenly takes ill and is informed by Dr. Sevard (DENIS O'HARE) and Dr. Eve Saks (JENNIFER GARNER) that he's HIV positive.

Ron refuses to believe that, but considering the thirty days he's been given to live, he quickly educates himself about the disease and its potential forms of treatment. The one drug that seems most promising, AZT, however, is only available in a blind trial and Eve informs Ron she can't help him get into that. Desperate, he bribes a hospital orderly to get him that experimental drug. When that's cut off, he heads to Mexico where disgraced American physician Dr. Vass (GRIFFIN DUNNE) is practicing and stabilizes him.

Realizing there's a potential windfall in bringing non FDA approved drugs over the border and selling them to those in need, Ron does just that and employs transsexual Rayon (JARED LETO) -- who he met earlier while both were seeking treatment -- to help him get clients. That doesn't sit well with FDA official Richard Barkley (MICHAEL O'NEILL) who does his best to shut Ron down, all while Ron's lawyer, David Wayne (DALLAS ROBERTS), does what he can to keep Ron's operation running.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
Older teens might, but unless they have an interest in the subject matter and/or are fans of someone in the cast, it doesn't otherwise seem too likely.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R
For pervasive language, some strong sexual content, nudity and drug use.

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