On "Milk" the Movie, Or, Was Mickey Rourke Right?

I saw Milk this week at Raleigh's Rialto. Gus Van Sant (Drugstore Cowboy, Good Will Hunting) directed the movie, which was released in October 2008. It's an exploration of activist Harvey Milk in the last years of his life. Actor Sean Penn portrays Mr. Milk (May 22, 1930 - November 27, 1978), who is widely cited as the first openly gay politician voted into office.

Elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, he fought for gay rights and other causes. As his popularity and power grew, tragedy struck. I'm eager to see The Times of Harvey Milk, a 1985 documentary.

Actor Mickey Rourke also has a new movie, The Wrestler. He was accused last month of "trashing" Sean Penn. Rourke told "someone" backstage at Letterman that he doubted Penn would garner an Oscar nomination for Milk and was surprised by the rave reviews Penn is getting.

A few days ago, a frenemy released a "private" text message in which Rourke said he "didn't buy his [Penn's] performance at all," calling him "an average pretend acting like he was gay." Not surprisingly, the story is a bit more complex than originally reported. I idly wondered whether Rourke was seeking to drum up interest in one or both of their films.

Harvey Milk's life story is riveting and inspiring. Penn's performance is good, but not excellent. And though James Franco stands out as Milk's significant other, the casting was poor. Many actors seemed overly amateurish, as did some of the director's devices.

The movie had a made-for-television feel; a hollowness; a pervasive lack of depth that was disappointing and distracting. One wonders if Penn worked to master Milk's vaguely effeminate mannerisms, but couldn't get much deeper. He put forth a good effort, but there's a lack of authenticity. This movie falls short.

At the end of the movie, I cried. I care about the people in the story. I care about the cause. I like Sean Penn. I love San Francisco. I'd hoped to rave about this movie. I can't. Rourke was right.

Cross posted at A Smut-Filled Tome.