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"BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN" (2005) (Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Moderate Heavy Moderate Mild Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild None None Minor Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Extreme Extreme Heavy Moderate Heavy QUICK TAKE: Drama: Two bisexual cowboys must deal with their secret love for one another as they meet on camping trips over the course of several decades. PLOT: It's 1963 and cowboys Jack Twist (JAKE GYLLENHAAL) and Ennis Del Mar (HEATH LEDGER) accept jobs herding farmer Joe Aguirre's (RANDY QUAID) sheep over the Wyoming countryside. With one sleeping with the sheep and the other tending camp, it's a lonely and often cold occupation. After an evening of drinking on one particularly freezing night, they end up sharing a tent and have sex. The next morning, neither talks of the encounter and goes about their business, but the two are soon hooked on each other, despite Ennis being engaged to Alma Beers (MICHELLE WILLIAMS). When the job is done, the two cowboys go their separate ways, with Ennis marrying Alma and Jack eventually doing the same with Lureen Newsome (ANNE HATHAWAY), a fellow rodeo performer, with both couples ending up having kids. The years pass, but when Jack visits Ennis, the two take up right where they left off, much to Alma's shock, although she doesn't let on that she's seen them together. The two head off for a fishing trip and enjoy each other's company, with Jack wanting the two to move in together. Having seen -- as a child -- the fatal repercussions of being gay out in their neck of the woods, Ennis won't have any part of that. Yet, the two continue to see each other over the ensuing decades, during which they try to sort out their feelings about themselves and each other. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Gay teens might be, as might anyone who's a fan of someone in the cast. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For sexuality, nudity, language and some violence. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: JAKE GYLLENHAAL plays the Wyoming cowboy who finds himself working with and then falling for Ennis. Despite claiming not to be gay (he does get married and have kids), he obviously leans that way more than his companion (with whom he wants more than just an annual fling), and is even seen visiting a male prostitute. He also drinks, smokes and uses strong profanity. HEATH LEDGER plays his more solemn male lover who enjoys spending time with him, and is indeed in love with him despite being married to Alma, but fears reprisals if the two are caught together. He also uses strong profanity, smokes and drinks. MICHELLE WILLIAMS plays his wife who becomes increasingly distraught over his long-running affair with Jack. ANNE HATHAWAY plays Jack's initially sexually forward and then business-minded wife who either doesn't know or care about him having an affair with Ennis. RANDY QUAID plays the farmer who initially hires both men, uses strong profanity, briefly smokes and then won't hire Jack again after learning he's having a fling with Ennis. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated drama. Profanity consists of at least 22 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are used. Sexually related dialogue (some of it explicit) is present, as are several sexual encounters (both straight and gay) that show nudity, movement and include related sounds. Male nudity (full frontal from a long distance & partial butt views from up closer) is also seen. Violence consists of a person being beaten to death, the results of another unseen beating, as well as some people fighting or striking others. Some of that has bloody results (while we also see a sheep that's been disemboweled by a coyote) and some of those moments may be disturbing or suspenseful to some viewers. Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, including some homophobia, and the two men who carry on an affair over several decades, thus cheating on their wives. That leads to tense family material that also includes a spouse and her in-laws dealing with the aftermath of her husband's death and a man not getting along with his father-in-law. Various characters smoke and/or drink a lot (some to the point of intoxication), while two appear to share a joint. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Jack and Ennis have beer in a bar. Jack drinks whiskey from the bottle and then gives that to Ennis who drinks from it following the latter's hard fall from his horse. Jack and Ennis have whiskey and then share the bottle again later. Ennis appears a bit intoxicated. Ennis has a beer in a bar as do others. Some men are intoxicated at a fireworks display. Miscellaneous people drink at a dance where Jack has a shot of liquor. Ennis has a beer. Ennis has a beer and tells Alma that he and Jack will probably go out and get drunk. Some time later, we see Ennis still waiting for Jack to show up, and see many empty beer bottles by Ennis. We see a few empty beer bottles in Ennis and Alma's kitchen. Ennis has a beer. A miscellaneous person walks by carrying a bottle. Jack's family has wine with their Thanksgiving meal. Ennis makes a sarcastic comment about whiskey flowing like a river. Ennis has a beer, while the waitress who likes him has wine. We later see them having the same again. Miscellaneous people drink. Jack and Ennis share what looks like a joint, and then share some whiskey. Ennis sees that Jack still had his shirt, with the blood stain on it. We later see that shirt again. Ennis and his daughter have beer or liquor that he split for them. BLOOD/GORE Ennis has a little blood on his head after a hard fall to the ground. Ennis shoots an elk for food and we then see either meat or skin strips hanging over something as they eat. We see the motion of Jack urinating, but don't see the actual act. We see a dead sheep that's been disemboweled by an unseen coyote (we see its bloody and open abdomen). Some playful wrestling between Ennis and Jack turns violent, with Jack punching Ennis in the face, bloodying his nose. Moments later, Ennis then punches Jack to the ground. Jack later has a bruise on his face from that. Ennis nearly vomits in an alley. We see a quick flashback view of 9-year-old Ennis, his older brother and their father looking at a partially decomposed body lying in a ravine (seen from a distance with what looks like dried blood in the clothed crotch area). We briefly see blood on a man's face after he's been attacked (seen in flashback). DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Both Jack and Ennis end up cheating on their respective wives by seeing each other, with Ennis repeatedly lying about what he and Jack are doing on their many fishing trips. It appears that Joe has Jack and Ennis breaking the rules and/or laws regarding herding his sheep from one location to another. After realizing Ennis and Jack are gay, Joe won't give Jack another job. At a fireworks display, some drunken men loudly talk about "p*ssy" and humping. Ennis confronts them and asks that they keep it down in the family environment, but they're mean to him, prompting him to punch one and kick the other (they quickly give up). Lureen's dad doesn't respect his son-in-law Jack, calling him "Rodeo" and telling him to go get something in his car. Ennis drops off the kids with Alma at the store where she works, stating he needs to leave for work, thus putting pressure on her. We see in a flashback that bigots tortured and killed a gay man. We later see a flashback to a different but also fatal beating. After the TV is turned off during their Thanksgiving meal (that was showing a football game), Alma's father goes over and turns it back on, asking if they want their son to grow up to be a man. Jack then turns it off, his father-in-law turns it back on and so forth until Jack tells him "You sit down you old son of a bitch before I knock your ignorant ass into next week." Jack admits to having an affair with another person (he tells that to Ennis). When a driver yells at Ennis for walking in front of his truck, Ennis goes up and repeatedly hits the man through his open window. That man then gets out and proceeds to beat up Ennis (with many punches). After their divorce, Alma finally confronts Ennis about his long-running affair with Jack. Ennis gets mad, grabs her and raises his fist as if he's going to hit her, but she yells at him and demands that he leave, which he does. FRIGHTENING SCENES Coming around a turn on horseback, Ennis suddenly encounters a bear that growls and causes his horse to rear back, sending him falling hard to the ground. He then takes off running after the horse (we don't see the bear again). Ennis tells Jack about being a kid when his father took him out to see the body of a dead, gay man who was murdered for being gay and was pulled around by his "d*ck." We then see a quick flashback view of 9-year-old Ennis, his older brother and their father looking at the partially decomposed body lying in a ravine (seen from a distance with what looks like dried blood in the clothed crotch area). In a movie on TV, we briefly see a gun being held to a person's head. After their divorce, Alma finally confronts Ennis about his long-running affair with Jack. Ennis gets mad, grabs her and raises his fist as if he's going to hit her, but she yells at him and demands that he leave, which he does. When a driver yells at Ennis for walking in front of his truck, Ennis goes up and repeatedly hits the man through his open window. That man then gets out and proceeds to beat up Ennis (with many punches). A woman informs a man that her husband died, but lies about how. We then see that several men beat him to death (briefly seen in flashback). GUNS/WEAPONS Rifles: Carried and/or used to shoot at coyotes or for hunting purposes. In a movie on TV, we briefly see a gun being held to a person's head. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Not on your f*cking life," "F*ck-ups," "What the f*ck are you looking at?" "F*ck you," "Jack f*cking Twist," "Is that a f*cking problem?" "A f*cking real good life," "Get the f*ck off me," "Oh sh*t," "Bullsh*t," "Sh*t like that," "What are you waiting for, a cowboy mating call?" "Queer," "Scrawny ass," "Got all over my ass," "Bastard," "Where the hell you been?" "What the hell happened?" "Dumb ass mule," "Cat piss," "Can't cook worth a damn," "Balls" (testicles), "The hell they are," "Freeze your ass off," "Get the hell out of my trailer," "Oh hell," "You shut up," "Piss-ant," "Sure as hell sorry," "You sit down you old son of a bitch before I knock your ignorant ass into next week" and "Damn you." A miscellaneous man has some tattoos. From a long distance, we see Jack and Ennis jumping from a short cliff, completely nude, into a body of water (we see full frontal and rear nudity -- but again from a distance). JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) There's a song with gun-related lyrics. PROFANITY At least 22 "f" words (1 used sexually), 13 "s" words, 2 slang terms using female genitals ("p*ssy"), 1 using male ones ("d*ck"), 16 hells, 11 damns, 6 asses (1 used with "hole"), 4 S.O.B.s, 1 crap, 13 uses of "G-damn" and 1 use each of "Christ," "Jesus" and "Jesus Christ." SEX/NUDITY We see Ennis shirtless. With Jack in the foreground of the shot, we see Ennis out of focus in the background. We can tell he's nude as he's crouched down washing himself (including his crotch that's facing away from the camera), but beyond seeing his out-of-focus, bare butt, we don't see anything else. Ennis tells Jack, "You may be a sinner, but I haven't had the opportunity" (presumably meaning he's a virgin). After a night of drinking, Ennis decides to sleep outside, but after his fire dies down, he's freezing and Jack tells him to join him in the warmer tent. As they lie side by side, Jack pulls Ennis' arm around him and then tries to kiss him several times, but Ennis is slightly resistant (pushing him away, but obviously interested). Jack's pants are then undone and he turns with his rear toward Ennis who pulls down Jack's pants (we briefly see the side of his bare butt). Ennis then undoes his own pants, spits on his fingers (for lubricant) and then puts his hand down toward his crotch (we don't see the actual act). We then see him thrusting behind Jack (rear entry anal intercourse) with related sounds, but no nudity or full shots of the encounter. We see the side of Jack's bare butt as he's squatted down, washing his clothes. After their sexual encounter, Ennis says, "I ain't queer," with Jack quickly chiming in, "Me neither." While Jack is shirtless, Ennis kisses and then gets on top of him in their tent and they kiss some more, but we don't see the implied sex act. From a distance, Joe sees Ennis and Jack playfully cavorting outdoors, shirtless. While in their car at the drive-in, Alma pulls Ennis' hand over her shoulder down to her clothed breast or belly (possibly signaling she's pregnant -- they later have kids). After realizing Ennis and Jack are gay, Joe won't give Jack another job, using slang for what he assumes they did (something sounding like "while you stem the rose"). Ennis and Alma passionately kiss on their bed, with him groping her clothed breast. He then gets on top and passionately kisses her and then rolls her over, either for rear entry vaginal or anal intercourse (we don't see the actual contact). At a fireworks display, some drunken men loudly talk about "p*ssy" and humping. At a dance, Lureen realizes Jack likes him, but being slightly frustrated that he's not doing anything about it, asks him, "What are you waiting for, a cowboy mating call?" Lureen and Jack passionately kiss and then get into the backseat of a car where they continue. She asks if she's going to fast, and he jokingly replies that fast or slow, he likes the direction she's going. She then removes her top (we see her in her bra that shows cleavage) and then removes that, allowing full views of her bare breasts as she's on top of him. We see Jack and Ennis lying front to back in a motel bed, presumably after sex (both are shirtless). From a long distance, we see Jack and Ennis jumping from a short cliff, completely nude, into a body of water (we see full frontal and rear nudity -- but again from a distance). We see a couple in bed with the man on top, views of the woman's bare breasts and hear sounds of heavy breathing. The woman says she's behind in her pills (presumably birth control). Ennis meets up with a male street prostitute and then walks off with the man, presumably for sex. A waitress shows cleavage. A married man comes on to Jack, saying they should go off to a cabin for a getaway. Jack admits to having an affair with another person (he tells that to Ennis). Jack tells Ennis that unlike him, he can't make it on "a few high altitude f*cks a year" (referring to their relationship). SMOKING Ennis smokes more than 10 times, Jack smoke around 10 times, Lureen smokes several times, Joe smokes once and miscellaneous people smoke in several scenes (including a cigar). Alma asks Jack to get some smokes as he's headed out, but he tells her where some already are inside the house. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We hear that Jack doesn't get along great with his hard-to-impress father, while Ennis' parents are dead from a car accident when he was a boy (and was then raised by his older siblings). Joe informs Jack that the latter's uncle has pneumonia and will likely die (Jack says that going to him would do no good), but we later hear that he got better. Lureen's dad doesn't respect his son-in-law Jack, calling him "Rodeo" and telling him to go get something in his car. Ennis drops off the kids with Alma at the store where she works, stating he needs to leave for work, thus putting pressure on her. Alma is shocked to see Ennis and Jack passionately kissing outside their place. As Ennis continues to see Jack, that puts more stress on Alma and her feelings toward Ennis. Ennis yells at Alma as she's headed off to work and won't stay home like he demands. He then kicks a bucket in anger in front of the kids. We see that Ennis and Alma are getting a divorce and there's talk of custody of their kids. Following his divorce, Ennis tells Jack that he only gets custody of his kids once a month and that he missed the last such opportunity. After the TV is turned off during their Thanksgiving meal (that was showing a football game), Alma's father goes over and turns it back on, asking if they want their son to grow up to be a man. Jack then turns it off, his father-in-law turns it back on and so forth until Jack tells him "You sit down you old son of a bitch before I knock your ignorant ass into next week." After their divorce, Alma finally confronts Ennis about his long-running affair with Jack. Ennis gets mad, grabs her and raises his fist as if he's going to hit her, but she yells at him and demands that he leave, which he does. Ennis' teenage daughter isn't happy that her dad is now seeing a waitress. Commenting on his marriage to Lureen, Jack says they could do it (conduct their marriage) over the phone. A woman informs a man that her husband died, but lies about how. We then see that several men beat him to death (briefly seen in flashback). A man meets another man's parents, following their son's death, and they're still shaken up by his passing. Jack's father states that his son split with Lureen and took up with another man. Ennis' 19-year-old daughter seems upset when he says he can't make her wedding due to work, but he then changes his mind and she's happy. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Being gay or bisexual and how society's view of that has and hasn't changed over the decades. Affairs. The life of cowboys. Ennis says that if he and Jack are caught together in the wrong place and time, they'll be dead (referring to how others will react to them being lovers). After Ennis says he's no fun, a waitress (who's been involved with him) says that you can't fall in love with fun. VIOLENCE Jack shoots at a coyote, but misses (that's seen as a threat to the herd of sheep). Coming around a turn on horseback, Ennis suddenly encounters a bear that growls and causes his horse to rear back, sending him falling hard to the ground. He then takes off running after the horse (we don't see the bear again). Some playful wrestling between Ennis and Jack turns violent, with Jack punching Ennis in the face, bloodying his nose. Moments later, Ennis then punches Jack to the ground. Jack later has a bruise on his face from that. Ennis punches an alley wall twice while upset. At a fireworks display, some drunken men are rude, loud and acting inappropriately. Ennis confronts them and asks that they keep it down in the family environment, but they're mean to him, prompting him to punch one and kick the other (they quickly give up). One of Alma's young kids accidentally knocks over and breaks some jars in the store where Alma works. We see in a flashback that bigots tortured and killed a gay man (we don't see the act, just the dead body). Ennis kicks a bucket in anger. When a driver yells at Ennis for walking in front of his truck, Ennis goes up and repeatedly hits the man through his open window. That man then gets out and proceeds to beat up Ennis (with many punches). Ennis shoves Jack. Ennis pushes Jack. A woman informs a man that her husband died, but lies about how. We then see that several men beat him to death (briefly seen in flashback). Reviewed November 30, 2005 / Posted December 16, 2005

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