The review of "Milk" that I wrote last week hasn't encouraged much debate at our own Web site, but over at Rotten Tomatoes....
As a member of that site's critics, I post reviews and include a short snippet to promote that people read the entire review on our own site.
The snippet for "Milk," the new film in which Sean Penn so capably brings to life Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in the U.S. in 1978, was this:
"Why is there no openly gay Hollywood actor portraying any of the historical figures in this film? Because no American A-list film star has come out to be counted."
Let me explain, especially for those thinking like cindyw, whose comment on Rotten Tomatoes to my quote was that my being from a red-state place like Tulsa precluded me from having anything thoughtful to say about the film.
"Milk" is a biopic about Harvey Milk that uses one of his beliefs as a major theme: Come out and be counted. Come out of the closet. If you want to make a difference in this issue of civil rights, make your voice heard by coming out. Stop hiding. Stop blending in.
But blending in is what American A-list actors have always done. You're familiar with Rock Hudson, right?
Major film stars clearly fear that their careers will be negatively affected if they come out, so that part of their lives remains hidden.
This is true unless you believe that there are no bankable male actors in Hollywood who are gay. This is true unless you believe that the numbers (from 2 to 8 percent of American men are gay, depending on the report) don't apply to Hollywood.
Is Neil Patrick Harris the most famous gay American actor, or merely the most well-known to come out? I believe the latter to be true.
While Penn delivers one of this year's most rewarding film performances, the picture suffers in my opinion because of the hypocrisy: Who is Hollywood to promote the idea that gays should come out and be counted?
