Milk (and Cookies)

Milk
Written by Dustin Lance Black
Directed by Gus Van Sant

Tis the Oscar season for self-indulgent biopics. Wouldn't an acting trophy fit nicely in your stocking oh Hollywood star/starlet?

This is not that film, but always good to understand what the expectations are when historical biographies are given the red carpet treatment in the month of December (Aviator, Hurricane, Ali, Ray, Pollock, etc). Milk, starring Sean Penn, among a highly-talented ensemble cast (Allison Pill, James Franco, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, etc), is an excellent study in how to make a successful biopic. Hollywood take note:

1) There needs to be a story. It is not simply enough to stage "Oscar-winning moments," a few angst-ridden emotional meltdowns to be circulated on the "For your consideration" reel to Academy members. Milk has an arc. Harvey Milk begins the film as a closeted insurance salesman in New York. At 40, with no passion or truth to his lifestyle, he decides he needs a change and moves to the Castro, a gay-friendly neighborhood in San Francisco. As he and his partner (James Franco) quickly discover "gay-friendly" is not a term that came into common vernacular for thirty more years. Over the course of the film and Milk's life's many obstacles, the main character finds himself and his voice as the first openly gay elected official in a major public office. He was a tireless advocate for gay rights, as well as a charismatic politician, who by the end of the film, is compared to Boss Tweed or Mayor Daley.

2) There needs to be secondary characters and secondary sub-plots. As interesting as it is to watch Tom Hanks deteriorate on an island with a volleyball for 2 plus hours, it is also helpful to have a little external conflict. Milk is very successful at this. Through the secondary characters (Milk's political team and confidantes), we gain greater insight into him as a person--a politician, a friend, a businessman, and a lover. Sure Director Ron Howard uses the taped memoirs as a through device and the framing newsreels, but it isn't as cloying as it could be. I felt as invested in the secondary story lines as I was in Milk himself. Especially Emile Hirsch and Josh Brolin (an unlikely villain who effectively unravels throughout the film).

3)There needs to be contemporary significance. This is especially helpful so that everyone can gasp or sigh in the end credits as the "what are these characters doing now" news bites scroll. Given the fervor surrounding Prop 8, this is a film which raises pertinent social questions.

Paired well with Milk and Cookies on Commerce Street in the West Village. Don't wear your tightest jeans.