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Spoiler-Free Advance Review of HBO’s “The Normal Heart”

Air Date: Tuesday, May 25, 2014, 9/8c on HBO

Rating: ★★★★★

 

“We have to do something, no one else will.” – Ned Weeks

 

The Normal Heart, executive produced by Emmy® winner Ryan Murphy and Oscar and Golden Globe winner Brad Pitt, is the story of the outbreak of an unidentified disease, now known as HIV/AIDS, during the early 1980s in New York City, and is based on the Tony award-winning play of the same name by Larry Kramer. Kramer used many of his own experiences to create the character Ned Weeks (Mark Ruffalo), on whom the movie focuses. 

I admit, I was uncomfortable during the first 15 minutes of The Normal Heart but it had little to do with the homosexual theme and more about the message the movie initially seemed to be conveying — that all gays care about is sex. In the beginning, The Normal Heart lays it on very thick, especially during one scene when the gay community holds a meeting because 46 people in their area have been infected with the HIV virus and either died or were dying. One of them wants the meeting to hurry up because he has to get to an orgy, while another admits, “Half these people just showed up to get laid.” In their minds, anyone talking about the disease just wants to put a buzzkill on their sexual revolution. Years of society trying to change the mindset of people to understand homosexuals are just like everyone else seem to be reduced to a negative sexual stereotype.

But then, Ned meets Felix Turner (Matt Bomer), a writer for the New York Times. Felix has a line that really stands out, “I just write about gay designers, and gay discos, and gay chefs, and gay models, and gay rock stars, and gay celebrities, and gay everything. I just don’t call them gay.” With that line, the story shifts and becomes less about sex and more about humanity.

The Normal Heart can be broken down into three narratives. The first focuses on the friendship between Ned and Dr. Emma Brookner (Julia Roberts), a physician who uses a wheelchair due to polio. Brookner has been front and center studying the new disease and the seriousness of it. When the gay community refuses to take her advice that gay men should stop having sex until more research is done, Brookner enlists Ned’s help, as he is an outspoken leader in the gay community.

The chemistry between Roberts and Ruffalo is outstanding as the two try to learn more about the disease and educate the community, both gay and straight. Roberts’ character plays more of a mentoring role, not only to Ned but to the viewers as well. We watch as people in the ’80s, regardless of sexual orientation, react not only to the gay community but to the disease itself. Back then, HIV/AIDS was viewed as a gay problem, and nothing for straight people to care about.

The second aspect is one I can really connect with — Ned’s internal struggles. I can never fully understand what it is like to be gay but since I was previously homeless for three years, I can relate on some level to what it is like to be judged by what you are and not who you are. I understand what it is like to have a negative label placed on you because of circumstances beyond your control, or to become disconnected from your family. More importantly, I know what it is like not to have a voice; to have a cause or something you believe in with all your heart and soul and yet, you feel invisible whenever you try talking about it. Ruffalo does an amazing job conveying the anger, frustration, and helplessness he experiences as he tries to find people to listen to his message.

The final facet of The Normal Heart addresses the love story between Ned and Felix. Anyone who has read my White Collar reviews or my bio on this website knows I am a big Matt Bomer fan. For most of The Normal Heart, Bomer plays the supportive, loving boyfriend and while touching, his performance doesn’t stand out as much as Ruffalo’s does. That is, until Bomer’s character goes through a transformation that is jaw dropping. With this radical change, the scenes between Ruffalo and Bomer become heartbreaking and, at times, difficult to watch.

As much as I am a fan of Bomer’s, this is Ruffalo’s movie and he is outstanding in it. I have enjoyed his work since seeing him in The Last Castle, but The Normal Heart is, by far, Ruffalo’s best work to date. The Normal Heart should be considered for several Emmys®, including Best Movie Made for Television, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress. Everyone is that good. In addition to Ruffalo, Roberts, and Bomer, other familiar faces include Jim Parsons, who reprises his role from the Broadway play as Tommy Boatwright, Ned’s friend and self-proclaimed “Southern bitch,” Alfred Molina as Ned’s brother Ben, Taylor Kitsch as Bruce Niles, president of the Gay Men’s Health Crisis group, and others.

The Normal Heart is a powerful and gripping movie, with some difficult scenes to watch. The early ’80s was a different time in our society when it came to the acceptance of homosexuality, and that is expertly reflected in the film. But, despite many branding the movie as being simply about homosexuality, it is much more than that. It is a movie about a community coming together in the face of an unknown medical nightmare. It is about a man finding his voice in a world that isn’t ready to listen to him. It is a story about love, and hope, and despair, and what we as humans are willing to do for the ones we love. In the end, it is less about being gay and more about being human. No matter what your beliefs are, The Normal Heart is well worth watching.

Tweet me @staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about The Normal Heart.

 

Visit the movie website http://www.hbo.com/movies/the-normal-heart.

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Follow The Normal Heart on Twitter @HBO, using hashtag #TheNormalHeart.

Photos © 2014 Home Box Office, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.

Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.