Watching Milk


I went to see the movie Milk this evening. It only played in Harlingen one week, and I missed it. The only other theater it is playing in, or has played in for that matter, is in McAllen for two shows a day. I'd say there were about twenty people in the audience. During the first ten minutes of the movie, eight of them walked out when Sean Penn and James Defranco kissed. The only other time I have seen that many people walk out of a movie was during American Psycho . It is interesting to me that two men kissing gets the same reaction as a psycho killer chainsawing two women to death. I guess they thought they were at a movie about the history of the dairy industry? It's too bad they left because the movie is powerful, and Sean Penn as Harvey Milk is astonishing. I can understand someone having the skill to portray emotions like sad or happy, but to somehow recreate the sheer charisma of an individual requires real artistry. Go see it.