Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
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The story
In 1985, Ron Woodroof, a rodeo cowboy and electrician, is diagnosed with HIV/AIDS during a period when the disease was poorly understood and heavily stigmatized. After being ostracized by his community and facing a grim prognosis, Woodroof begins to seek alternative treatments. He eventually smuggles unapproved pharmaceutical drugs from Mexico into Texas to manage his symptoms. To distribute these drugs to other patients, he establishes the 'Dallas Buyers Club.' However, his operation soon draws the scrutiny of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), forcing him to navigate a complex landscape of medical ethics, legal hurdles, and the desperate reality of the burgeoning AIDS crisis.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1985, Ron Woodroof is diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and told he has 30 days to live. After his family and friends ostracize him, he begins seeking alternative treatments. He finds a cocktail of drugs in Mexico, including those not approved by the FDA, and begins smuggling them into Texas. He partners with Rayon, a trans woman also living with AIDS, to form the Dallas Buyers Club. The club becomes popular, but the FDA eventually raids the site and threatens Woodroof with arrest. Following the death of Rayon, Woodroof's focus shifts toward providing drugs for the community rather than profit. He eventually files a lawsuit against the FDA to secure the legal right to use peptide T. Although the lawsuit is ultimately unsuccessful in changing regulations, the FDA allows him to use the substance personally. Woodroof dies of AIDS in 1992, living seven years longer than his initial prognosis.
- First release year
- 2013
- Runtime (minutes)
- 117
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jean-Marc Vallée
- Writers
- Craig Borten · writer; Melisa Wallack · writer
- Cast and characters
- Matthew McConaughey · Ron Woodroof; Jennifer Garner · Dr. Eve Saks; Jared Leto · Rayon; Denis O'Hare · Dr. Sevard; Steve Zahn · Tucker; Michael O'Neill · Richard Barkley; Dallas Roberts · David Wayne; Griffin Dunne · Dr. Vass
- Genres
- biographical drama; independent
- Themes
- medical ethics; AIDS crisis; activism; identity
- Tone and mood
- serious; poignant
- Premise and plot tags
- biographical; medical; LGBTQ+; historical
- Reception
- The film received universal acclaim from critics and audiences, particularly praising the performances of Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 77 · scale: 100 · review count: 47
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Actor · win; Academy Award · Best Supporting Actor · win; Academy Award · Best Makeup and Hairstyling · win; Academy Award · Best Picture · nomination; Academy Award · Best Original Screenplay · nomination; Screen Actors Guild Award · Best Actor · win; Screen Actors Guild Award · Best Supporting Actor · win; Writers Guild of America Award · Best Original Screenplay · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was the first since 2003 and only the fifth ever to win both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor awards.; The film's budget was $5 million, while it grossed $55 million worldwide.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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