Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

UNKNOWN

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91%

2013, Drama/Lgbtq+, 1h 57m

RT Critics’ Score: 92% (UNBIASED)
RT Audience Score: 91%
Awards & Nominations: Won 3 Oscars
84 wins & 87 nominations total

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Critics Consensus

Dallas Buyers Club rests squarely on Matthew McConaughey’s scrawny shoulders, and he carries the burden gracefully with what might be a career-best performance.

Audience Consensus

Dallas Buyers Club is a movie that will make you laugh, cry, and feel all the emotions in between. Matthew McConaughey’s performance as Ron Woodroof is nothing short of amazing, and his transformation into the character is truly impressive. The film sheds light on a side of the AIDS crisis that many people may not have known about before, and it does so in a way that is both informative and entertaining. While there are some missteps along the way, such as the misplaced rom-com moments, overall this is a movie that is well worth watching. So grab some popcorn, settle in, and get ready for a wild ride.

Storyline

Dallas 1985. Electrician and sometimes rodeo bull rider Ron Woodroof lives hard, which includes heavy smoking, drinking, drug use (primarily cocaine) and casual sex. He is racist and homophobic. While in the hospital on a work related injury, the doctors discover and inform him that he is HIV+, and that he will most-likely die within thirty days. Ron is initially in angry denial that he would have a disease that only “faggots” have, but upon quick reflection comes to the realization that the diagnosis is probably true. He begins to read whatever research is available about the disease, which at this time seems to be most effectively treated by the drug AZT. AZT, however, is only in the clinical trials stage within the US. Incredulous that he, as a dying man, cannot pay for any drug which may save or at least prolong his life, he goes searching for it by whatever means possible. It eventually leads him to Mexico and a “Dr.” Vass, an American physician whose license was revoked in the US because of his AIDS related work against US regulations. Dr. Vass leads Ron to a cocktail of other drugs, some vitamins, he believes are more effective in treating the symptoms, since the virus, as Ron learns, will always be in the system of those who have been exposed to it. Ron begins to smuggle these drugs not approved by the FDA into the US, not only for his own use but for sale to other HIV+ persons. In this venture, he goes into an unlikely partnership with a HIV+ transgender woman named Rayon, who he met in the hospital and who has greater contact with AIDS patients through the gay community. As they try to work both above ground to get the meds to those that need them and underground to avoid detection by especially the FDA, Ron comes up with an idea to circumvent the fact of selling the drugs – which are not considered drugs yet since they are not FDA approved – directly to the HIV+ population, which then should should not be against the law. Richard Barkley and Dr. Sevard, the FDA’s lead man on the file and one of Ron’s doctors respectively, the latter who sees clinical trials as the only way to determine the efficacy of drugs despite the fact that Ron and others would have probably died already without these drugs, try to stop Ron and Rayon at every turn. Caught in the middle is Dr. Eve Saks, another of Ron’s doctors, who understands why policies are in place, but who can sympathize with Ron, Rayon and others – all her patients, directly or indirectly – in their situation.

Production Company(ies)
Werner Herzog Filmproduktion, Hessischer Rundfunk

Distributor
Focus Features

Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)

Filming Location(s)
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for pervasive language, some strong sexual content, nudity and drug use

Year of Release
2013

Technical Specs

Color:

Color
Sound mix:

Dolby Digital
Aspect ratio:

2.35 : 1
Runtime:

1h 57m
Language(s):

English, Japanese
Country of origin:

United States
Release date:

Release Date (Theaters): Nov 1, 2013 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 4, 2014

Genre(s)
Drama/Lgbtq+

Keyword(s)
starring Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto, Denis O’Hare, Steve Zahn, Michael O’Neill, Rachel Winter, Robbie Brenner, directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, written by Craig Borten, Melisa Wallack, drama, LGBTQ+, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Eleven, Kate Muir, Candice Frederick, Melissa Anderson, Jake Wilson, Geoffrey Macnab, Ema Sasic, Ben Turner, Jason Adams, James Croot, Joanne Laurier, Richard Crouse, R rating, AIDS, alternative therapies, medical establishment, electrician, smuggles, unapproved drugs, USA, Focus Features

Box Office Details

Worldwide gross: $55,736,588
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $70,804,865
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,190
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 7,721,359

US/Canada gross: $27,298,285
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $34,678,323
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,224
US/Canada opening weekend: $260,865
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $331,389
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,509

Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $5,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $6,351,740
Production budget ranking: 1,830
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $3,420,412
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $61,032,713
ROI to date (est.): 625%
ROI ranking: 202

Cast & Crew

Matthew McConaughey

Jennifer Garner

Jared Leto

Denis O’Hare

Steve Zahn

Ron Woodroof

Dr. Eve Saks

Rayon

Dr. Sevard

Tucker

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

Jean-Marc Vallée

Craig Borten

Rachel Winter

Robbie Brenner

Director

Writer

Producer

Director(s)
Jean-Marc Vallée

Writer(s)
Craig Borten, Melisa Wallack

Producer(s)
Rachel Winter, Robbie Brenner

Film Festivals
Toronto

Awards & Nominations
Won 3 Oscars
84 wins & 87 nominations total

Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Makeup Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Winners

Top Reviews

Kate Muir

Candice Frederick

Melissa Anderson

Jake Wilson

Geoffrey Macnab

Eleven

Autostraddle

Times (UK)

Reel Talk Online

Artforum

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB
All Critics (265) | Top Critics (79) | Fresh (245) | Rotten (20)
The film fails to break the pattern of transphobic narratives in cinema, perhaps because it doesn’t understand that trans people are not the same as cis gay people.

June 14, 2021

Eleven
Autostraddle
TOP CRITIC
Sometimes a character punches through the screen, beyond the film containing him. Matthew McConaughey’s performance as an HIV-positive cowboy in Dallas Buyers Club is one of those moments.

January 2, 2018

Kate Muir
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Though Jean-Marc Valle’s direction is sometimes indistinct, it does allow the actors to come off more inhibited in their performances and each scene is that much more authentic.

September 6, 2017 | Rating: A

Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
Despite the cadaverous appearance of its lead actor, Dallas Buyers Club wants to be pretty, too, presenting a tidy, uplifting history of the years when unconscionable inaction and prejudice toward those with AIDS were a matter of federal policy.

May 22, 2014

Melissa Anderson
Artforum
TOP CRITIC
A powerfully moving film, and McConaughey’s extraordinary physical transformation is much more than a stunt.

February 18, 2014 | Rating: 4/5

Jake Wilson
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
What makes the film so special is its sense of defiance and its scabrous humour.

February 14, 2014 | Rating: 5/5

Geoffrey Macnab
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Whatever the role, we see (Matthew McConaughey) expand his horizons and prove that he’s a chameleon that can fit in just about anywhere.

June 21, 2022 | Rating: 8/10

Ema Sasic
Next Best Picture
A very informative film about a side to the AIDS crisis that we knew very little about before.

September 2, 2021 | Rating: 4/5

Ben Turner
The Pink Lens
the disastrously misplaced cue-the-laughtrack rom-com rumblings dropped in the middle like sugar sprinkled on bed sores

July 14, 2021

Jason Adams
My New Plaid Pants
[A] truly stunning performance as electrician and hustler Ron Woodroof.

March 19, 2021 | Rating: 5/5

James Croot
Stuff.co.nz
An interesting, well-meaning movie, Dallas Buyers Club is powered by the outstanding performances of its two leads.

February 27, 2021

Joanne Laurier
World Socialist Web Site
An emotional drama that never stoops to melodrama. Instead it’s an inspirational film about standing up for what you believe in.

January 31, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5

Richard Crouse
Richard Crouse…

Plot
Dallas 1985. Electrician and sometimes rodeo bull rider Ron Woodroof lives hard, which includes heavy smoking, drinking, drug use (primarily cocaine) and casual sex. He is racist and homophobic. While in the hospital on a work related injury, the doctors discover and inform him that he is HIV+, and that he will most-likely die within thirty days. Ron is initially in angry denial that he would have a disease that only “faggots” have, but upon quick reflection comes to the realization that the diagnosis is probably true. He begins to read whatever research is available about the disease, which at this time seems to be most effectively treated by the drug AZT. AZT, however, is only in the clinical trials stage within the US. Incredulous that he, as a dying man, cannot pay for any drug which may save or at least prolong his life, he goes searching for it by whatever means possible. It eventually leads him to Mexico and a “Dr.” Vass, an American physician whose license was revoked in the US because of his AIDS related work against US regulations. Dr. Vass leads Ron to a cocktail of other drugs, some vitamins, he believes are more effective in treating the symptoms, since the virus, as Ron learns, will always be in the system of those who have been exposed to it. Ron begins to smuggle these drugs not approved by the FDA into the US, not only for his own use but for sale to other HIV+ persons. In this venture, he goes into an unlikely partnership with a HIV+ transgender woman named Rayon, who he met in the hospital and who has greater contact with AIDS patients through the gay community. As they try to work both above ground to get the meds to those that need them and underground to avoid detection by especially the FDA, Ron comes up with an idea to circumvent the fact of selling the drugs – which are not considered drugs yet since they are not FDA approved – directly to the HIV+ population, which then should should not be against the law. Richard Barkley and Dr. Sevard, the FDA’s lead man on the file and one of Ron’s doctors respectively, the latter who sees clinical trials as the only way to determine the efficacy of drugs despite the fact that Ron and others would have probably died already without these drugs, try to stop Ron and Rayon at every turn. Caught in the middle is Dr. Eve Saks, another of Ron’s doctors, who understands why policies are in place, but who can sympathize with Ron, Rayon and others – all her patients, directly or indirectly – in their situation.

Trivia