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Brokeback Mountain poster

Brokeback Mountain

year 2005decade 00sdirector Ang Leegenre Romance / Drama

134 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Heath Ledger Ennis Del Mar
Jake Gyllenhaal Jack Twist
Randy Quaid Joe Aguirre
Michelle Williams Alma Beers Del Mar
Anne Hathaway Lureen Newsome Twist
Graham Beckel L.D. Newsome
Linda Cardellini Cassie Cartwright
Anna Faris Lashawn Malone
David Harbour Randall Malone

Brokeback Mountain | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Wesley Morrisproducer Craig Horlbeck format 20th Anniversaryevent First Episode in New Studio
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Most Rewatchable Scene

The quit-you confrontation and opening are the principal final choices; several other scenes are praised.

In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 00:59:01Read transcript
  • The opening glances and famous tent scene are nominated.
  • A first-time young viewer’s surprise at the tent scene becomes tears by the ending.
  • The fight and goodbye, Ennis’s wall punch and the later refusal of another job are highlighted.
  • Lorraine’s arrival and Jack’s reunion visit after the postcard are nominated.
  • The reunion kiss and Alma discovering it expose the relationship through an outsider’s view; the loss of control is both moving and risky.
  • The campfire tire-iron story establishes mortal stakes; the two Thanksgivings contrast father-in-law conflict with Alma revealing she knew about the fishing lie.
  • The double date and cabin invitation are a favorite, with the invitation becoming a personal running joke.
  • The quit-you confrontation is called the best scene; Ledger collapses and Gyllenhaal registers that he pushed too far.
  • The ambiguous call to Lorraine and the parents’ house with the hidden shirts are praised.
  • The opening is the other final favorite, praised as a modern dance between the men.

The most "year the movie came out" thing

The actors’ youth is chosen over the film’s once-controversial subject matter.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:15:56Read transcript
  • The actors’ youth is chosen over the film’s once-controversial subject matter.

What’s Aged the Best?

The enduring score, title spoken onscreen and quiet Western-adjacent landscapes are praised.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:18:46Read transcript
  • The enduring score, title spoken onscreen and quiet Western-adjacent landscapes are praised.
  • The on-set romance and Jack’s dreams are discussed; ordinary unlucky men with bleak futures feel unusual in current movies.
  • The attractive ensemble, cow-castration exchange, score and Ledger’s performance hold up.
  • Aged-best attractive ensemble praise explicitly names Michelle Williams, observed Ann Hathaway, Kate Mera, Linda Cardalini and Anna Farris.

The Great Shot Gordo Award for Most Cinematic Shot

The final shirts-and-road composition is praised and compared with an observed Magnificent Obsession ending, with the comparison’s film identity unverified.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:21:00Read transcript
  • The final shirts-and-road composition is praised and compared with an observed Magnificent Obsession ending, with the comparison’s film identity unverified.
  • The Fourth of July fight framed by fireworks and the familiar intimate closeups are other choices.

The Butch’s Girlfriend Award for the Weakest Link in the Film

The public reunion kiss seems implausibly reckless, but years of repressed longing explain the loss of control.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:27:35Read transcript
  • The public reunion kiss seems implausibly reckless, but years of repressed longing explain the loss of control.
  • Repeated14-hour drives without apparent spousal suspicion are questioned; Lorraine likely knew and the marriage was already failing.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Mara and Ledger are only four years apart, and insufficient aging makes the daughter appear like a new girlfriend.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:31:13Read transcript
  • Mara and Ledger are only four years apart, and insufficient aging makes the daughter appear like a new girlfriend.
  • A worse-husbands comparison ultimately places Ennis at3 out of10, far below violent and abandoning alternatives.

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Ledger could have two of the top six or seven male performances this century: Joker is automatic, and Ennis has a strong case against a flexible field of examples.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:37:55Read transcript
  • Ledger could have two of the top six or seven male performances this century: Joker is automatic, and Ennis has a strong case against a flexible field of examples.
  • The two-performance claim is accepted, while the list’s focus on Oscar-recognized roles is noted.

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

David Harbor wins as someone who was recognizable before Stranger Things made him widely named.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:45:33Read transcript
  • David Harbor wins as someone who was recognizable before Stranger Things made him widely named.

Apex Mountain

Ledger’s living-career apex and Lee’s creative freedom are placed here; Gyllenhaal’s comes later around End of Watch and Prisoners.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:59:27Read transcript
  • Ledger’s living-career apex and Lee’s creative freedom are placed here; Gyllenhaal’s comes later around End of Watch and Prisoners.
  • Williams and Hathaway are rejected; traumatized Williams wives peak in Manchester, and a sheep-film counterexample is favored.
  • Gay Westerns qualify, while Power of the Dog does not work for either participant.

Cruise or Hanks?

Cruise could be an excellent Jack, though he is thought unlikely to accept it in any era; Pacino and Cazale are earlier hypothetical possibilities.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 02:02:02Read transcript
  • Cruise could be an excellent Jack, though he is thought unlikely to accept it in any era; Pacino and Cazale are earlier hypothetical possibilities.

Is This Movie Better With…?

Sam Jackson is imagined as the cabin man or a nearby fisherman; Doris Burke could narrate the sheep work.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 02:12:51Read transcript
  • Sam Jackson is imagined as the cabin man or a nearby fisherman; Doris Burke could narrate the sheep work.

Just One Oscar

Best Picture is chosen to honor everyone, with Ledger, Lee and the already-winning score considered.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 02:14:22Read transcript
  • Best Picture is chosen to honor everyone, with Ledger, Lee and the already-winning score considered.

The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson

Follow your heart and accept being in love are offered; enduring what cannot be fixed is admired, while needing nothing because one has nothing is rejected as defeatist.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 02:17:41Read transcript
  • Follow your heart and accept being in love are offered; enduring what cannot be fixed is admired, while needing nothing because one has nothing is rejected as defeatist.