Reactions to Brokeback by friends, family & audiences

[Hmmmm]

here's an even more astounding quote from that article:

The controversial film, about two star-crossed cowboys in love that has garnered numerous award nominations and is an expected Oscar contender, was the No. 1 film in Grand Rapids, trumping such steady hits as "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and "King Kong."

whooo eee

jack

It really could be the number one show since it just opened there.

I wasn't sure if they made an error in the way they wrote that sentence or not.  Elsewhere they say screen per screen which makes me think they are comparing $/screen. On the other hand the sentence is pretty clear about trumping Narnia and Kong.

I am fine with taking their statement at face value 

[brokebacktom]

Love this site!!  I seen it three times.

1st time by myself in an artsy theater. It was 80% full on a Tuesday afternoon. The audience was mostly mixxed.  A elderly lesbian couple was in front of me holding hands. Maybe 65-70 yrs old.  A ladie behind me was crying in last 20 minutes of the movie.  I ran out numb and cried that night.  I hada connection w/ Ennis that I felt I hope I don't become someone like that. My Chrismas was sucked because of the effect of this movie.  No one laughed at Alma seeing the kiss in this audience.

2nd time saw in the same theater with a co-worker firend. Again no laughter when Alma saw the kiss, but this time there were "oooohs" and "oh nos." The audience was mixxed straights w/ more gay couples. It was 80% full a 8pm on a Tuesday night. Left w/ a tear in my eyes along w/ my friend.

3rd time in a bigger theater w/ 3 friends on New Years Day @ 7:30pm.  The theater was 80-85% full.  The Audience was mostly straight couples-middle aged.  With many gay friends or coules going to see the movie. This time there was laughter when Alma swa the kiss.  Than after that everything went quiet.  Realizing that her whole world came to a hault. My 3 friends loved it and plan on going again. 

I only of 2 people that didn't like it.  A gay co-worker, for he did not like Jack cheating on Ennis. And that there was no romance in the movie.  The other was a lesbian friend of mine. She thought it was too slow, and viewed Ennis's and Jack's backgroud as a way for the Christain Right to justify their views that Homosexuality is caused by actions not by nature. (I hope people understand this). 

Plan on going again but maybe when the Ascors come out.  Tom in MN

[WLAGuy]

Love this site!!  I seen it three times.

1st time by myself in an artsy theater. It was 80% full on a Tuesday afternoon. The audience was mostly mixxed.  A elderly lesbian couple was in front of me holding hands. Maybe 65-70 yrs old.  A ladie behind me was crying in last 20 minutes of the movie.  I ran out numb and cried that night.  I hada connection w/ Ennis that I felt I hope I don't become someone like that. My Chrismas was sucked because of the effect of this movie.  No one laughed at Alma seeing the kiss in this audience.

2nd time saw in the same theater with a co-worker firend. Again no laughter when Alma saw the kiss, but this time there were "oooohs" and "oh nos." The audience was mixxed straights w/ more gay couples. It was 80% full a 8pm on a Tuesday night. Left w/ a tear in my eyes along w/ my friend.

3rd time in a bigger theater w/ 3 friends on New Years Day @ 7:30pm.  The theater was 80-85% full.  The Audience was mostly straight couples-middle aged.  With many gay friends or coules going to see the movie. This time there was laughter when Alma swa the kiss.  Than after that everything went quiet.  Realizing that her whole world came to a hault. My 3 friends loved it and plan on going again. 

I only of 2 people that didn't like it.  A gay co-worker, for he did not like Jack cheating on Ennis. And that there was no romance in the movie.  The other was a lesbian friend of mine. She thought it was too slow, and viewed Ennis's and Jack's backgroud as a way for the Christain Right to justify their views that Homosexuality is caused by actions not by nature. (I hope people understand this). 

Plan on going again but maybe when the Ascors come out.  Tom in MN

Interesting reactions from your friends, Tom.  Had either of them read the story before seeing the movie?

[brokebacktom]

Hi WLAGUY

The answer to your question is NO!!! 

[terry]

I saw the film in one of the century theaters here (Union City to be exact).  When I came in, the theater was empty with the exception of two rowdy young men sitting way at the top.  Great, I thought.  They're probably gonna start making inane comments during the movie.  About ten minutes before the start, a throng of people came in.  Not a full house but not bad for the first showing.  The audience was mainly quiet but fell to dead silence during the two main love scenes.  The only rousing response was the Thanksgiving dinner when Jack tells his father-in-law off.  I even heard the two young men in the back yelling their support!!  This is my fourth time seeing this movie.  The first several times were in San Francisco.  I'm glad there wasn't any inappropriate laughter or giggling.

[NYC-lovesbbm]

I like this new topic - 2 friends of mine who saw the movie said they couldn't understand Heath/Ennis because he was mumbling - I said to see the movie again & pay closer attention, one even said he'd need to see it again with subtitles.

Anyone hear similar things?

[kw]

I'm very upset tonight
I went see the 9:30 pm show in New York's Chelsea (my 3rd viewing)
the theater is 100% packed
mostly young straight people
they laugh at almost EVERY scene
including the kissing
my experience is completely ruined

[BillN]

I'm very upset tonight
I went see the 9:30 pm show in New York's Chelsea (my 3rd viewing)
the theater is 100% packed
mostly young straight people
they laugh at almost EVERY scene
including the kissing
my experience is completely ruined

KW, sounds like you will need a #4 now to make up for this. It is interesting that the posts seem to indicate that older audiences take the movie more seriously, while young people don't - could it be the difference in the experience level or maturity?

[WLAGuy]

Hi WLAGUY

The answer to your question is NO!!! 

I thought that might be the case.  It sounded from their comments like they weren't familiar with the story, and I guess someone who saw the movie cold might come away with those impressions. 

[Alijoon]

the first time i saw the movie, it was with 14 gay guys and 2 straight women, in Dupont Circle, the gay area of Washignton DC.

all but one of the guys loved it, and i cried along with the two women adn three or four of my friends.  What bothered me was that there was some laughing when ennis's wife catches the kiss.. the audience was mainly gay, and it was just weird, to laugh at that part.



the second time is saw it i went with my two best friends and all three of us cried.. it was more of a mixed audience, gay and straight.


the third time, i went in the burbs, cried again, and the audience was young and straight and mostly women. it may have been just my imagination, but they did not seem as riveted as  the other audiences.  After the movie ended, the straight guys looked uncomfortable beign seen coming out of the theater.

[Alijoon]

the first time i saw the movie, it was with 14 gay guys and 2 straight women, in Dupont Circle, the gay area of Washignton DC.

all but one of the guys loved it, and i cried along with the two women adn three or four of my friends.  What bothered me was that there was some laughing when ennis's wife catches the kiss.. the audience was mainly gay, and it was just weird, to laugh at that part.



the second time is saw it i went with my two best friends and all three of us cried.. it was more of a mixed audience, gay and straight, even though it was at dupont. interestingly, i think word of mouth persuaded many people to attend the film.


the third time, i went in the burbs, cried again, and the audience was young and straight and mostly women.  After the movie ended, the straight guys looked uncomfortable beign seen coming out of the theater.  I caught many conversations of how hot jake was....  i never go to movies alone, but it was very theraputic seeing BBM a third time, and by myself.

every time i see the movie i catch somethign new. that ang lee is a genious.

[ottoblom]

Hello, this is my first post on this site, and I have a lot to say!
One reaction I wanted to share with you all is about a friend of mine who is the highly emotional kind, cries at just about any movie, or anything in life. She said that she didn't shed a tear at BBM, that the movie did nothing to her as Jack and Ennis failed to convince her of their love, since they were never very loving towards each other. The only thing that stirred her were the sex scene and the kissing scene, and that was it. I was shocked, specially coming from her. She said she didn't know why aside than that she didn't feel anything. She is not homophobic in any way I know.
Have any of you hear people speak like this?

I just wondered if your friend had adjusted her opinion with time.  The movie was very dry eyed for me the first time, but it sinks in . .

[DeeGilles]

Maybe a little OT but..Are any of you old enough to remember "Splendor in the Grass" with Warren Beaty (his first film) and Natalie Wood? That film had an incredibily profound impact on me as a teenager. There is a lot of that in Brokeback Mountain.

Splendor or grass? I say both. Don't you? Yeah it could be a real tear jerker also.

That's one of my favorite movies.  I've seen it on AMC or TCM and the like several times. There is a parallel with BBM there, in the intensity of love and passion, and the ultimate thwarting of the relationship because of societal constraints.  Excellent movie. I recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it.

[lynn]

A report from the Star-Ledger newspaper in New Jersey on the wide demographic appeal of BBM:

http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-0/1137044950180090.xml?starledger?emo&coll=1

"Obviously, there are gay men that are coming to the movie," says Brian Callaghan, a spokesman for the suburban Boston-based National Amusements chain, which is showing the film in Edgewater and East Windsor.

But he says theater managers have told him the movie has been doing most of its business with presumably straight male-female couples, who are probably attracted by the excellent reviews and word-of-mouth.

[Kevin]

My mom went to see it today with her best friend.  A bit of background...years ago when I came out she was a hardcore, conservative republican that was a wreck when I told her I was gay.  She tried in vain to get me to go into psychotherapy.  But I always had a lot of confidence and had zero issues with being gay, and even at the time I knew she was the one with the problem.  In the last twenty years (I'm now 39) it's been a great deal of work getting her to see the light about being gay and also that a conservative approach to social values hurts individuals and our country.  Today, she is a radical democrat, hates Bush, and believes in equal rights for all including marriage equality.  She says that she loved Brokeback and felt that only the most closed minded could not understand the profound social message the movie conveys (although the makers swear they had no agenda and just wanted to make a good film).

Interestingly, she said there was zero laughter during the "Alma sees them making out" scene.  I've reached a conclusion about this; it is gay men that are laughing:

1.  most report that the laughter in the audiences is at screenings of theaters that just began showing the film

2.  most also report that the audiences get far more "straight" the longer the movie shows at a given theater.  I have seen the movie MANY times at two different theaters and know this is true.

Why is this?  Why would it be gay men that would laugh?  I know that the laughter issue has been discussed often, but I don't remember seeing a satisfactory answer.