June is LGBTQ Pride Month, and political advocate Harvey Milk was one of the founding voices in the openness and acceptance of the movement. Not as well known as other civil liberties warriors, the SUNY Albany grad was a leading voice in the early stages of the LGBT community, and his story is told in the 2008 movie “Milk.”
A terrific period piece, “Milk” offers the viewers an exceptional and often overlooked view of 1970s San Francisco – in the prelude to the explosion of the AIDS epidemic and the gay counterculture movement of the ’80s. When we think of San Francisco, we often envision a highly liberal and prgressive city, but such wasn’t the story in 1970 when Harvey Milk first arrived.
Actor Sean Penn has shown a wide range of roles, from the absurd slacker Jeff Spicoli in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” to the Academy Award winning “Mystic River.” Penn does a fantastic job in the central role of Harvey Milk, with a quick YouTube search supporting just how accurate Penn speaks and acts like the real life activist.
The story is one of perseverance, with the inspirational Harvey Milk going from virtual nothing to his iconic nickname ‘The Mayor of Castro Street.’ The movie opens with Harvey creating a recording that is only to be played after his assassination, dark foreshadowing as to events that will soon transpire. Harvey Milk was a man who could have been happy and content with the simplicity of life with his loving partner Scott Smith (James Franco). Instead, he used his great charisma and leadership skills to pioneer something big.
Penn is joined by the aforementioned James Franco as Scott Smith, and the pair have an enviable relationship that all of us can truly envy. Emile Hirsch plays Milk’s young protege Cleve Jones, and Josh Brolin co-stars as the ultimate antagonist, politician Dan White.
“Milk” serves as a great biographical piece, with my only compliant being the plodding pace that gets slow as the story continues to follow Harvey’s continued failed attempts at political office. You’ll feel every second of the 128 minute run time as the story is primarily dialogue based and as Harvey Milk continues running for office, its a touch repetitive.
Nevertheless, the story is a great one to be told. Many people have never heard the name Harvey Milk. He’s an unsung hero in the battle for civil liberties, and his story is effectively on display within the confines of this movie.
by – Matt DeCristo
