Milk

What’s the Story?

On the eve of his 40th birthday, closeted New Yorker Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) meets the love of his life, Scott Smith (James Franco), and decides it's time to find a "new scene." He heads to San Francisco, where he and Smith open a camera shop in the Castro. There, determined to enjoy a life where he and others are free to live and love, Milk discovers his true calling as an advocate for equal rights and, eventually, a leader of the gay-rights movement. But after he finally succeeds in becoming the first openly gay man to be elected to public office by winning a seat on the city's Board of Supervisors in 1977, Milk meets Dan White (Josh Brolin). A conservative politician also serving on the board, White grows increasingly frustrated by his own inability to navigate politics' rough waters -- Milk's strong suit -- until, one fateful day in 1978, he unleashes his rage on Milk and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone (Victor Garber).

Is It Any Good?

"Message" films often fail to distinguish themselves cinematically because they're so focused on hitting their talking points. MILK isn't that kind of message movie. Although it wears its politics on its sleeve, it does so with finely tuned storytelling and brilliant pacing that propels the action forward without sacrificing character development. Penn delivers an Oscar-worthy perofrmance as Milk, a San Francisco icon who's presented with all the complexities of an everyman -- a charismatic, courageous everyman -- who finds his way to greatness. Happily, the supporting cast -- particularly Franco, Brolin, and Emile Hirsch as Milk's friend/fellow activist Cleve Jones -- are also up to snuff. (That said, though it's true Milk traveled in large social circles, his entourage could have been trimmed for the film so it wouldn't feel quite so crowded.)

Director Gus Van Sant, who unleashes a singular vision here, throws archival footage into the mix, giving it heft -- not that Milk really needed any more of it. The film is infused with a palpable sense of purpose. Soulful, enlightening, politically relevant, and thoroughly affecting, Milk will leave audiences breathless.