I'm Sick of Movies About Men Who are Jerks

Last month, I saw "Walk the Line." Last night, I saw "Brokeback Mountain." Same reaction: I have much better things to do with two hours of my time than sit through a movie about boorish men like Johnny Cash or Ennis who drink too much, treat their wives (and for Brokeback, also his male lover) like shit, and are capable of adequately expressing no other emotion than rage.

We men are better than that.

At least WTL has an excellent soundtrack, a fast pace, and some really entertaining footage about the old Sun Records road tours with not only Cash but Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, and other greats. The best feature of Brokeback, in my opinion, is the Wyoming mountain scenery. How did this endless homage to suppressed emotion get nominated for Best Picture?

If you want to see a movie about gays and repressive culture, Brokeback's director Ang Lee did a much better job years ago, with "The Wedding Banquet."

Of course, I'm a minority opinion. Most people seem to feel more like the reviewer who gushed that Lee

shows us once again that he is up to the challenge of exploring the turmoil of individuals who yearn for a love that lasts. The director, who has a special talent for drawing out affecting performances, does so with Heath Ledger who plays a cowboy trying to keep a rein on his words and his emotions.

But there's a reason I wrote a book showing nice guys how not to finish last!