"When Dallas Buyers Club hit theaters in 2013, it was initially greeted with widespread critical acclaim. The film, directed by Jean-Marc Vallée from a script by screenwriters Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack, tells the story of Texas cowboy Ron Woodroof, who - after being diagnosed with AIDS in the mid-1980s and experiencing unmanageable side effects from AZT (the only FDA-approved treatment for the disease at the time) - established an illegal operation to procure and provide alternative drugs to AIDS patients in the Dallas area."
"Dallas Buyers Club was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, with star Matthew McConaughey taking home the award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Woodroof and Jared Leto winning Best Supporting Actor for the role of Rayon, a fictional trans woman who shows Woodroof the error of his homophobic ways in the film."
"But while critics praised Vallée's movie, many HIV/AIDS activists took issue with some of its themes. In his book Never Silent - excerpted in Vanity Fair in 2021 - advocate Peter Staley, who was offered a role in the film, accused Wallack of injecting AIDS denialist pseudoscience and conspiracy theories into the story."
Dallas Buyers Club (2013) dramatizes Texas cowboy Ron Woodroof’s mid-1980s AIDS diagnosis and his illegal efforts to obtain alternative treatments after severe AZT side effects. The film received widespread critical acclaim and six Academy Award nominations, with Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto winning acting Oscars. HIV/AIDS activists raised concerns about the film’s themes, including accusations that screenwriter Melisa Wallack injected AIDS denialist ideas and suggestions that Woodroof’s treatments were safer than AZT. The portrayal and casting of the trans character Rayon drew criticism, and acquaintances of the real Woodroof questioned cinematic changes to his life story.
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